Drawn to You
by CharismaticBunn
Summary: AU. Non-magicial. Marinette's life is turned upside down when Adrien Agreste has a video of her confessing her love to Nathanael in front of a bathroom mirror. To get the video back, Marinette must oblige to all of Adrien's demands. But what happens when Adrien unexpectedly confesses something to the bluenette?
1. Catalyst

**Hey guys! By popular demand, I have decided to make my one-shot "Bad Boy, Good Girl" into an actual story that is now called Drawn to You. :) The beginning pretty much expands on things before what happened in the one-shot, so it won't be very climactic or surprising to you since you guys know what happens. That's okay though. I'm sure new readers don't know. haha**

 **Anywho, enjoy~**

* * *

 **Drawn to You**

 **Genre: ****Romance**

 **Disclaimer: ****I do not own this wonderful show.**

 **Pairings: ****Adrinette**

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 **Chapter One: Catalyst**

Marinette's eyes dilated as her gaze fixated on the redhead who stood by her side.

Nathanael Kurtzberg – the boy she had a massive crush on since she was six years old.

It wasn't his striking good looks, his high grade point average, or his strong physique. It was his kindness. His boldness. His independence. His, well, everything.

His confidence was beaming, and as he delivered the final part of their English presentation, Marinette couldn't help but sigh affectionately.

"Right, Marinette?"

Marinette blinked several times before hearing an awkward cough from the crowd. She was sure it was accompanied by a derogatory remark, but she couldn't make out what word it was. She stiffened up as she fumbled with the stack of cue cards in her hands.

"That's right Nathanael," she uttered before a part of the class burst into a fit of giggles. She couldn't make it more obvious that she had an undying crush towards her project partner.

She worked up the courage to sneak a glance at the redhead. He met her eyes and a small smile formed on his face before he returned his attention to Ms. Bustier.

Marinette wanted to slap herself or scream into one of her cushiony pillows. She hoped that he didn't catch her intently staring at him during his part of the presentation. It was obvious to everyone else that she was. She couldn't help it though. She just found him so charming.

"Thank you Nathanael," said Ms. Bustier with a delightful smile before shifting her gaze to the bluenette. "And Marinette. It was a very lovely presentation." She gestured for the two to return to their seats to give the next presenters time to set up their equipment.

Marinette smiled, feeling proud of her and Nathanael's work. She was sure they were going to get an A on this project, which would boost up her current grade. She grabbed onto another stack of her cue cards on Ms. Bustier desks before deciding to return to her seat. As she did, Nathanael gently squeezed her wrist, causing her to turn and meet his entrancing turquoise colored eyes.

She gulped.

"I think we aced it," he said with a smile. "We should pair up more often. We make a pretty good team."

Marinette's heart fluttered. She opened her mouth to agree, but ended up making a croaking noise. She gulped, and then opened her mouth again. "Yeah." Her voice still sounded hoarse.

Nathanael blinked and then let out a chuckle. "Right." He nodded before walking back to his seat where Kim was ready to give him a high five.

Marinette sighed, wanting to bang her head against her desk as soon as she returned to it. She could not be more of a dork around the boy who held her heart.

"Good one, Marinette," said Chloe who just witnessed everything that just transpired. "Maybe next time you'll moo." She smirked as her minions giggled.

Marinette rolled her eyes before stalking over to her desk. She sat down and looked over to Nathanael who was providing words of encouragement to his friends who were worrying about their grades.

"So, are you going to do it?" Alya whispered beside her.

"What?" Her best friend interrupted her trance.

"You said after this project, you were finally going to tell him how much you like him."

Marinette bit on her bottom lip before raising her fingers to her mouth. She began to chew on her nonexistent fingernails – something she always did prior to a situation that filled her with anxiety.

"It's been years, Marinette," said Alya. "I think you should do it. You're friends, and he's such an understanding person. Even if he rejects you, everything will be fine."

Marinette chewed faster. She didn't want him to reject her though. She wanted him to feel the same way. Having him oblivious for the rest of their lives was far more favorable than rejection.

"I-I…" The anxiety began to build up inside of her.

She tried to take deep breaths, but ended up asking Ms. Bustier for a pass to the washroom.

Marinette rushed out of the classroom, and down the hall. Before the start of the school year, she promised herself that she would finally tell Nathanael about how she felt. Now there were only a couple days before the end of the school year, and then everyone would be on summer break for a couple months – another eight weeks of a Nathanael-less summer. After that, they would be entering their senior year of high school, and Marinette's goal was to no longer worry about her feelings towards the redhead. This project was supposed to bring out her courage, but it didn't. It made her feel more anxious than ever.

Marinette entered the girl's washroom and walked over to the closest sink. She turned on the faucets and splashed the water against her face before rubbing it against her skin.

 _Get a grip, Marinette. It's not so hard to tell a boy about how you feel._ She gripped onto the edge of the counter, drips of water trickling down her skin as she kept the faucet on.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, blinking every so often to steer the beads of water away from her eyes.

 _You deliver presentations all the time. You're the class representative. You deal with Chloe. You can tell a boy about how you feel. You just need some practice._

Marinette nodded her head sternly before turning the water off. She grabbed onto a few paper towels and dabbed the wetness on her face. She then bent over, peering into each stall to make sure that she was the only one in the washroom.

"Okay," she said after confirming that she was the only one in the room.

She whipped around, looking at her reflection once more. She tensed up, feeling awkward that she chose to talk to herself in the mirror. She knew that people did it to help them boost up their charisma, but it just felt so unnatural to her.

"Hi… Nathanael," she said, the beat of her heart reverberating through her body. Her face turned red, still not used to talking to herself in the mirror.

"Hi… Nathanael," she said again. This time, more motivated to sound like she wasn't a weakling.

"Oh, hey Marinette," she followed in a deep voice, trying to imitate the boy. "What is it?" She glided her fingers through her hair, trying to mimic his moves.

Marinette shuddered as Nathanael's luscious red hair appeared in her mind. She then shook her head and coughed.

"Focus, Marinette, focus," she whispered to herself before continuing. "You see, Nathanael, I have to tell you something important." She gulped; feeling like the situation was somewhat real. "I-… I have a huge crush on you…" She stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Marinette began to reiterate the same confession over and over again in different tones. After some time of getting comfortable, she changed up the words, and ended up saying a few other things she never thought that was in her system. She giggled for a bit, feeling a bit silly, but actually felt pretty proud of herself. She should have started talking to mirrors a long time ago. Maybe her social skills would have been better off if she did.

"Well," said Marinette. "I think I can do this… I know I can do this."

"Yeah, I think you can do it to," a voice said behind her with a snicker.

Marinette whipped around, her heart stopping in its tracks. She widened her eyes upon seeing who it was.

It was Adrien Agreste with a devilish grin on his face.

And that wasn't even the worse part. He was holding up his phone as if he caught something on his camera, and Marinette had a hunch of what it was – something bad.

* * *

 **So, this is the end of the first chapter. Short, yes, like most of my other stories...**

 **Anywho, ATTN EVERYONE!**

 **I have a favor to ask of everyone. _I have a poll up on my profile asking which two stories I should work on more/upload faster._ It will only take a second, but I would appreciate it if you guys can vote. If you really want to, you can leave a review here, but I think it's faster just to vote. haha - _The choices are - A Play to Remember, Kalos Academy: Rivalries & Firsts, Voodoo Love, Written, Date Night: The Final Set of Dares, and this one, Drawn to You._ **

**And as usual, leave a like, follow, and/or a review!**

 **Your love is greatly appreciated! xoxox**

 **DON'T FORGET TO VOTE! :D**


	2. Thee Adrien Agreste

**Thanks to everyone who voted for my poll, and thanks to everyone who is interested in this story. :) It got more attention then I thought it would.**

 **Enjoy this chapter! ~**

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 **Chapter Two: Thee Adrien Agreste**

Adrien Agreste - from his unruly blonde locks, to his sparkling green eyes. From his chiseled facial features to his well-toned body – there was absolutely no doubt in Marinette's mind that he was an absolute heartthrob.

He had everything. The looks. The money. The brains. _Everything._

If it weren't for her crush on Nathanael, she would probably have a crush on him.

But there was one very well defined characteristic that made Marinette steer clear of thee, Adrien Agreste.

It was his personality. To be more precise, it was his narcissism, his reckless attitude - everything that fell under the "bad boy" category.

She's known Adrien Agreste about as long as she knew Nathanael, but while one developed into a true angel, the other one turned into a complete devil.

Adrien was always one to tease her and call her names. There were an innumerable amount of times where he got her in detention when she was just a clueless and innocent bystander. He constantly pulled pranks on her and made her his victim. If anything, he was a bully, and Marinette absolutely despised him.

It wasn't until high school where he decided to leave her alone. She supposed maybe it was because he was introduced into a larger pool of victims. From what she's seen, he wasn't as bad or childish compared to their early years. But, he was still pretty bad. He didn't pull many childish pranks (at least, none that Marinette was aware of), but he became a complete player. Every girl was all over him. There were so many, they had to create a fan club.

The worse part about all of it was that Nathanael was considered his best friend. That was something that Marinette couldn't understand. How does someone as sweet and charming as Nathanael end up being best friends with someone like Adrien? It just didn't add up.

And as Marinette stood frozen in front of the grinning blonde, those terrible memories of him flashed through her mind. Even if she compiled all the pranks together, the churning feeling in her gut was telling her that this was probably going to be the worst.

"So," he said, smirking. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng has a crush on Nathanael." He scoffed before shoving his phone into his pocket. "And she has dirty thoughts about him."

Marinette's face turned bright red. She did not have dirty thoughts about the redhead. She just got a little too comfortable in front of the mirror and ended up saying things that were untrue.

"Adrien," she managed to mutter underneath her breath. She could feel a burning sensation growing in the pit of her stomach. It was being fueled by the anger rising up from being face to face with this jerk.

"Never thought I'd hear you say my name again," he said. "Whenever I greet you, you always ignore me." He placed a finger on his chin, shifting his gaze upwards as if he was deep in thought. "I can't believe that I couldn't figure out who you liked. It's so obvious now that I think about it. I mean, whenever you see Nathanael you giggle and do embarrassing things. And you completely ignore me."

Marinette rolled her eyes as Adrien began to list things that proved her crush on Nathanael. She wished that no one knew that she liked Nathanael, but even Chloe and her minions knew that she liked him. How could he, Nathanael's best friend not pick up on her crush?

Marinette clenched her fist before eying the bulge on the left side of his jeans – the place where he stuffed his phone. He looked really deep in thought, almost like he was trying to figure out something else.

The bluenette decided to take this time to grab his phone and chuck it into the nearest toilet. She lunged forward, reaching towards his pocket, but her wrists were caught in his grip.

"I think we need to get to know each other first before you do something like that." He winked as Marinette struggled away from his strong hands.

She massaged her wrists, and then looked up at him, a look of disdain on her face. "What are you even doing in the girl's washroom?!" She almost screamed. "The boys washroom is next door!"

"I come here when I don't want to go to class. If anyone is looking for me, no one suspects that I'd be here" he said. "You obviously didn't."

She rolled her eyes before crossing her arms.

Adrien pulled his phone from his pocket and began swiping his finger across the screen. In just a few seconds, Marinette could hear her voice, and her lengthy confession. Her face turned redder than it already has and she instinctively lunged towards him again, trying to grab the phone.

"Whoa, Marinette," said Adrien as he held the phone above his head, using his free hand to keep her away. "If you want me so badly, you should just say so."

Marinette groaned before backing away. "What do you want?" she asked, getting to the chase.

He smirked again before closing the video and putting his phone away. "What makes you think that I want something?" he asked. "I feel wounded that you would think such a thing."

"Is there not something that you want?" Marinette crossed her arms again and began tapping her foot against the floor. When Adrien got good dirt on someone, he always had to take the opportunity to use it as blackmail.

"We don't talk that much, and you still know me so well," he said. "And for a second, I thought that I was going to have to worry about tonight."

"Tonight?" Marinette asked. She would do anything to get her punishment done and over with.

"In exchange for the video, you have to be my date for tonight."

"What?" Marinette asked, shocked. "Why? I'm not here for you to set me up on another prank."

"I'm not joking," he said. "I need a date for tonight."

"What?" she retorted. "Chloe not good enough for you?"

"No," he said.

Marinette rolled her eyes at his answer. She couldn't believe that he didn't have to think twice about rejecting the president of his fan club. Marinette was sure that Chloe was his girlfriend too. He flirted with her all the time, but now that she thought about it, maybe he used his flirting to get Chloe to do his dirty work. She's seen the girl sneaking around parts of the school that were off limits. She was most likely grabbing something for him or installing something somewhere to aid with his pranks.

"My father is coming back from a business trip. I just need you to be my girlfriend for a couple of hours."

"What? No way! Why should I do that?"

"If you don't, your video will be playing in front of the entire school by tomorrow morning."

Marinette gulped. She did not want her confession to be revealed in front of the entire school. That was social suicide, and she still had another year left until she was finally able to leave the jungle that is high school. Even if summer break was just a few days away, everyone was bound to remember the mishaps that occurred just days before the end of the school year. She could not let that happen.

She sighed. "Why do I have to be your girlfriend?" she asked, begrudgingly.

"That's not for you to know," he said. "You do this for me, and your video will be deleted and I'll keep my mouth shut."

Marinette's been pulled into situations like this with him before. Except back then it was small stuff like Adrien taking her favorite stuffed animal during summer camp. She had to do something for him in order to get her ladybug plushie back - doing his trigonometry homework for a week before seeing her prized possession. At a much harsher point on the spectrum, Adrien took her clothes once when Alya forced her to go skinny-dipping. Marinette had to awkwardly wade around in the water until Alya came back with an extra pair of clothes. During that, Adrien came in, already requesting what he wanted while waving her clothes above his head. All he wanted her to do was scream out 'I think Adrien Agreste is so cool'. He then tossed her clothes into the water and left, leaving her to wait for Alya with a fresh set of dry clothes. After all those years, all that trickery, Adrien was always one to hold up his end of the bargain. As surprising as it was, he never backed away from his deals.

So, Marinette had no choice but to comply with his demands.

"Fine." She groaned. "Deal. What time should I meet you?" She rolled her eyes.

"My house. 5PM. Don't be late, or your video will be posted on the internet." He winked at her again before walking over to the exit. As he slightly pushed the door open, he looked back at Marinette. "And don't tell anyone or your video will be leaked." He smirked and then left.

Marinette's eyes lingered on the door for a few minutes before turning around to look at her reflection in the mirror. And for a second, she thought that all she had to deal with was confessing her undying crush to Nathanael. Now, she had to worry about being Adrien's fake girlfriend, and getting that embarrassing footage of her deleted.

She supposed that on the bright side, it was only going to be for a few hours.

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 **On that note, here's the end of another chapter. :) We're getting close to where the one-shot left off. haha.**

 **If you haven't voted for the two stories you'd like me to focus on more, please do so. The poll is on my profile, or if you don't have an account, just leave a review. Once again, the choices are this story (Drawn to You), A Play to Remember, Kalos Academy, Voodoo Love, Date Night, and Written. Thanks.**

 **And as usual, leave a follow, like, and/or review! xoxox**


	3. Rich & Unexpected

**Chapter Three: Rich & Unexpected**

Marinette stood in front of the famous Agreste mansion, tapping her foot against the cement. She looked down at her watch, her patience wearing thin. It was now 5:15PM. She should have known that Adrien was going to keep her waiting. It was so like him to.

Marinette pressed a finger against the white, round button. "Hello?" she talked into the speaker. She waited for a response, but there was only silence. She groaned before throwing her arms above her head. She knew that someone was supposed to be tending to the speaker at all times. It was the Agreste mansion for crying out loud. There was always some kind of important visitor having to talk business with Adrien's father.

She kicked a pebble onto the road, pacing back and forth in anger. Adrien was probably teasing her – trying to mess with her from the get-go. He probably told the worker to ignore her, or even worse, he was probably sitting there in a small room, watching her through the cameras, laughing and eating popcorn.

She looked up at one of the small, round camera's that was stationed on top of the tall brick wall that enclosed the entire area. She then shifted her gaze to the left, noticing another camera on the other side of the black steel fence. She wanted to yell out words of profanity, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. What if he was going to hold it against her? That meant bye-bye to her social life.

Marinette puffed up her cheeks in anger before wrapping her hands around the steel black bars. She leaned in close, pressing her face up against the cold bars. Beyond the fence was a small roundabout with nicely trimmed hedges at the center. On either side was a nicely trimmed lawn, almost the size of a couple of football fields. Marinette instinctively tried fitting her head between the bars, trying to make out the exact size of the front lawn. She immediately leaned back, not wanting to embarrass herself more than she already has. Getting her head stuck in between a couple of bars screamed out that she was going to be Adrien's slave for her entire life.

She squinted her eyes, looking pass the hedges and into the open windows, looking for some kind of figure. It was no use though. The mansion was way too far back for her to see anything. Marinette groaned again before letting go of the bars to pace around in a circle.

"Really want to see me, huh?"

Marinette looked up, her eyes meeting the buzzer. She stalked over to it, hearing Adrien's chuckle through the speaker.

"I knew you were watching me!" she said angrily before looking up at the camera. "I'm not here to play games." She pointed her index finger up at the camera. "I'm here to do what I can to get the video erased!"

"Actually, I can do whatever I want. That video is worth a fortune," he snickered. "And I didn't make you wait for my own enjoyment. My father will be here in just a few hours. There was a meeting for all the workers. As boring as it is, I still have to attend them."

Marinette bit her bottom lip as the gates unlocked. A whirring sound was then followed as the gates slowly began to open up in front of her.

"I'll meet you at the front door," he said. "And don't worry. I won't make you wait. Can't do that to a girl who misses me that much."

Marinette clenched her fists. She wanted so bad to climb up that brick wall and smash that camera into smithereens. But she stopped herself from doing so. Not because her dignity was at stake, but because she was going to see the real thing in just a couple of minutes, and she was going to be able to slap him across the face.

Marinette stalked through the front lawn, not caring to walk on the right path. She didn't care that she was ruining the nicely mowed grass. It was all Adrien's fault. She marched up the plight of stairs, readying herself to knock out the obnoxious blonde.

As the wide set of doors opened up in front of her, Marinette brought her hand up, her eyes fixated on his smooth, left cheek.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said with a smirk.

"You deserve at least one slap." She gritted through her teeth.

"One slap equals one send." He held up his phone, showing her the screen.

Marinette bit her bottom lip, looking at all the recipients. "Fine," she muttered, bringing her arm down to her side. She crossed her arms, digging her nonexistent nails deep into the sleeve of her cardigan. "If you're dad isn't going to be here for another few hours, then why am I here early? Can't I just come back when your dad is here?"

"It's not that easy," he said, gesturing her to enter his home.

"And why is tha-" Marinette stopped midsentence. It wasn't the ornate decorations, expensive furniture, or vast size of the foyer that was making her jaw drop. She was anticipating that the second she laid eyes on his front lawn. It was the amount of workers standing on either end of the grand staircase. There were at least twenty steps going up the center before splitting off to two staircases going left and right. A maid occupied each step at the center, while the two staircases at the top were occupied by a bunch of butlers. The women were each holding out a fancy dress, while the men were holding out displays of accessories - making Marinette feel as if she was on some kind of game show made for people who wanted to update their wardrobe. Scratch that, for people who needed to update their wardrobe.

"Why… what…" Marinette wasn't sure of what to ask.

"You have to look presentable in front of my father."

Marinette tilted her head, her eyes glued to a red cocktail dress. "What is going on exactly?" She shook her head, not wanting to show interest in the wardrobe that was placed in front of her. "I, at least have the right to know of what I need to do."

"Do you?" He waved his phone out in front of her.

She narrowed her eyes on the device before meeting his green eyes. "I do. You're asking me to be your girlfriend for a couple hours. I assume you want me to play the part well. I wouldn't try sabotaging the night since my dignity is on the line, but I can't be a convincing girlfriend if I don't know what's going on."

He paced around the area before finally agreeing to her terms. "I promised my dad that I wouldn't get into anymore trouble. So, whenever I was out…" He paused, lowering his voice. "…making trouble." He cleared his throat. "I told him I was busy studying with my girlfriend that was making me change my ways." He blushed and glided his fingers through his unruly hair.

"Your best excuse was to tell him that you were with a girl? Not to tell him that you were hanging out with a new set of friends? Or maybe, following in the footsteps of Nathanael?"

Adrien scoffed. "You don't know Nathanael as well as you think," he remarked.

"I know more about him than you think."

"Right." He walked over to the grand staircase, standing next to the maid who was standing at the foot of the stairs.

"You just need to look good, okay? We're going to be dining somewhere high class, and your outfit doesn't cut it."

Marinette shrugged. She was a fashion a designer. She didn't need help with dressing or accessorizing herself. She wanted to argue with him and make a point, but she was on a mission – to get that video deleted. She just had to stay calm and do as he said, and by the end of the night, everything would return back to normal.

* * *

Marinette stood in front of the towering three-way mirror, a few maids at her side properly fitting the fifteenth dress she tried on around her bodice. After the last maid fitted a beaded bracelet around her wrist, Marinette yawned, exhausted from trying on so many clothes. It didn't matter if she liked how the dress looked on her. It was all up to Adrien, and his comments were rather blunt. Every time she exited the dressing room, he would glance at her for a short second and force her back into trying another dress.

This time, she was wearing that red cocktail dress she had her eyes on when she first stepped into the foyer. It had a tight fitting bodice with red lacy sleeves. The skirt was short and puffy, making it look less elegant, but more playful and flirty.

"Hurry up!" Adrien called out. "We have to be at the restaurant in an hour. If this dress doesn't work either, we have to get a move on!"

Marinette groaned in dismay as a maid re-curled a loose tress framed around her face. Her hair was up in a bun, a style that she hasn't worn in ages. According to Adrien, her pigtails were tacky and made her look childish. She had to get rid of them by the fifth dress.

Marinette straightened up; her feet sore from wearing the stilettos that Adrien was forcing her to wear. She was used to wearing them now, but at the cost of losing all feeling in her toes. She couldn't understand why they were spending so much time on her appearance when he was still wearing his casual clothing. Surely he had some grooming to do.

The bluenette stepped out of the change room and into the room where Adrien was lounging on a chaise lounge, munching on a few grapes. He looked relaxed and had his eyes glued to his phone, looking at who knows what.

"Yes?" Marinette sounded defeated.

"This one bett-" Adrien nearly dropped his phone as he raised his head to look at the bluenette.

"This better be the last one," said Marinette, turning around for him to see her from all angles. "I'm sick and tired of trying all these dresses. Besides, I'm sure all these clothes are supposed to be for your dad's models."

Marinette turned around to face him. He looked frozen, not a single word escaping from his lips.

"What is it now?" Marinette groaned. "Finally ran out of insults?" She crossed her arms, waiting for his reply.

He shook his head, and recomposed himself. "No… no…" He paused. "We'll just stick with that. We're running out of time anyways." He grabbed another bunch of grapes and stood up. "Besides," he said, his usual smirk returning to his face. "Nothing in there is enough to make you look good."

Marinette scoffed.

"You just wait here while I get ready," he said. "Irene will give you the list of topics you may talk about with my father." He snapped his fingers, causing one of the maids to walk over to Marinette with a bunch of cue cards. "Don't miss me too much." He winked before exiting the room.

* * *

Marinette has never felt so nervous in her entire life. She fidgeted with a part of her dress as she eyed the cutlery surrounding her porcelain plate. There were three forks and two spoons and two knives. She's only ever needed a spoon or a fork or a pair of chopsticks. She couldn't understand the extra pieces. If you asked her, it was just a waste of dishes.

On their way to the restaurant, Adrien was telling her all about the do's and the don'ts. He told her a few things about himself and in return she had to tell him a few things about her – things that she mostly lied about to prevent him from actually getting to know her. After all that, he didn't even bother to tell her about proper etiquette. Was there a purpose for the tinier fork? She had no idea.

The pair was sitting on top of a balcony, under the starry night sky, waiting for Gabriel Agreste's arrival. They were surrounded by a bunch of Paris's elite – people that Marinette have only read about in magazines. Marinette's face turned bright red as she locked eyes with the famous Parisian model – Arielle Durand.

"Stop blushing. You're making my heart flutter," Adrien teased while looking down at the menu.

"Stop assuming things that aren't true," said Marinette.

"I don't get why you're so nervous. It's just a dinner with someone you… despise."

"And your father. He's like my idol in the fashion empire."

"My father is your idol?" Adrien raised a brow, his eyes peeping over the top of his menu board.

"I'm very flattered. That's very nice of you to say."

Marinette looked up to see a man hovering above her. He looked like a much older version of Adrien, but with much more pointed features, and hair that was actually slicked back in place.

"Fa-father," said Adrien, standing up from his seat. He bowed down to his dad before returning to his seat and sliding the chair out for him.

Mr. Agreste turned to look at a brunette who was dressed in formal wear. She was holding a black leather purse and had a Bluetooth clipped onto her ear, making Marinette assume that she was his assistant. Gabriel nodded at the woman, and in return the woman took a seat at the table beside them.

Marinette stared at the woman in curiosity as she began pulling out an agenda from her purse. She couldn't understand why she had to sit at another table, and she was too scared to ask about it.

"So," said Mr. Agreste. "You are the famous girlfriend that Adrien keeps telling me about."

"Uhm…" Marinette pursed her lips as she looked to her right at Adrien.

His eyes were heavily staring into her like they were sucking out her soul. She mentally took a breather as she shifted her gaze back to Mr. Agreste who was getting his wine glass filled with Chardonnay. He didn't even have to say anything to get his cup filled. It made Marinette think that he must come here a lot.

"I am," Marinette squeaked.

"You clean up well," he said. "My design looks rather good on you."

Marinette blushed, feeling uncomfortable. She didn't want to get into trouble for wearing one of his dresses. It was a beautiful dress, but she was totally against wearing it.

"It was Adrien's idea…" she murmured, causing Adrien to kick her from underneath the table. Marinette winced in pain, but immediately smiled as Gabriel eyed her with confusion. Was she not supposed to say that? He didn't say anything about her not saying that she was wearing one of his father's designs. In her defense, that was a pretty important topic to point out.

"I wanted her to look presentable for the restaurant," said Adrien with a grin.

Suddenly, his cool persona was no longer there. It was replaced with the same amount of fear as hers.

"I see," said Mr. Agreste with a stoic expression as he reached out to take a sip from his glass of Chardonnay. He then pursed his lips together and clasped his hands over the table. "So, Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng, how long have you been dating my son?"

Marinette's eyes began to bulge from her sockets. "You-you know my name?"

"I make it my business to know everyone who is around my son." He stretched his arm out and patted Adrien on the back. "You don't seem like all the other girl's my son dates."

Marinette shifted her eyes to Adrien, who sat up, stiff as a board. "I thought about what you said, father. Those other girl's just weren't cutting it."

It's barely been five minutes and Marinette could tell that Mr. Agreste was already having a hard time believing that the two of them were in a relationship. If she were him, she wouldn't have believed it the second she sat down at the table. Heck, Adrien didn't even know her last name until ten minutes ago, but she supposed that Cheng-Dupain was still better than something random like Wu. It wasn't necessarily wrong, but it was still was wrong to her.

Mr. Agreste turned his attention back to Marinette, causing Adrien to slightly relax. "I never thought that you were the type to go for my son. You're a smart one, Marinette. I thought you'd be more interested in the scholarly type," he said, wounding Adrien. He didn't notice though. He took another swig of his wine before placing a finger to his chin. "Someone like… Nathanael."

Marinette could tell that the words struck a chord in Adrien's system. He shrugged it off though, and continued to listen to his father.

Marinette felt kind of bad, but she thought that he deserved it. Compared to Nathanael, Adrien got everything because of his father's money. Nathanael didn't. He worked so hard for everything. He deserved his popularity because of it.

"Well," said Marinette. She glanced up at the clock that hung high on the wall behind the fashion designer. "Adrien is unique. He certainly has his charm…" She took a deep breath. The night was nearing its end. She was so close to getting that video deleted.

"That is very true." He stroked his chin. "How long have you been together exactly?"

"Not too long," said Marinette.

"Three months." Adrien interjected.

Gabriel raised a brow. "You've been dating for three months and you haven't told me? You've only been telling me about this lovely girlfriend of yours just a month ago."

"I didn't want to introduce you to another, regular girl."

"I suppose that was a smart move."

Adrien nodded in agreement before sighing in relief as his father looked away.

Mr. Agreste then opened his mouth, ready to say something else, but was interrupted by the irate sound of his ringtone coming from his cell. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his device, and then looked back at Marinette. "I have to go. I'm sorry this dinner couldn't be longer. I look forward to meeting you again sometime." He halfheartedly smiled at the bluenette before looking over at his assistant. She simply nodded and began to neatly stuff everything back into her purse.

"Likewise," said Marinette as Gabriel rose from the table and answered his call.

Marinette waited until the two left the restaurant before looking straight ahead at the honey blonde who looked more relaxed than ever. She blinked, not believing that her time as Adrien's girlfriend only had to go on for ten minutes. Maybe that was why he never bothered to teach her about the cutlery – because he knew that his dad was probably going to leave before they had the chance to actually eat. They didn't even get to order anything, and the waiter's didn't even ask them about what they wanted. Perhaps his father only ever came here to have some wine. It didn't matter to Marinette though. Her mission was almost complete. She just couldn't believe that she had to cram a bunch of information into her brain that was seriously unneeded.

"Now we can eat in peace," said Adrien, holding a finger up to catch the attention of a waiter walking by. "Two spaghetti's please," he said and the waiter scribbled it down on his notepad before disappearing into the kitchen. "You're okay with spaghetti, right?" he asked. "Well, if you aren't, you'll love it once you try it from here. It's delicious."

"Spaghetti? Delicious?" Marinette mumbled before groaning. She then extended her arm and held her palm out in front of him. "I think you're forgetting something."

"What?" He blinked through a mouthful of his water.

"Delete that video," she said in a snarky tone.

"What video?"

"The one you took of me in the washroom."

He gulped, and then wiped his mouth on the napkin that was folded into looking like a swan. "Oh… that video… I don't know if I should."

"Why not? We had a deal."

"Yeah, I'm not sure if what you did for me earns the right to delete that video."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Then I'll just chase your father down and tell him that you're a liar."

"Good luck with that," he said. "You'll never be able to get ahold of him. Only people worth his time are able to get his attention."

"But to him I'm your girlfriend. That will get his attention."

Adrien grinned. "Are you telling me that you really want to be my girlfriend?" he teased.

Marinette rolled her eyes, scrunching the dress tighter within her sweaty palms. She didn't care if she was going to return it to him all wrinkled. She just spent a couple hours getting ready only to be with Mr. Agreste for ten minutes.

"We can be married, and my father will still only pay attention to his clients."

Marinette shrugged. "What do you want?" She tried her best to stay calm.

He smirked. "Tell me," he said, pulling the lemon wedge from the rim of his glass. "Why do you like Nathanael so much?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Just curious." He shrugged.

Marinette scoffed and looked the other way. She was not going to pour her feelings out to a boy she's never really talked to – yet alone the boy who caused her years of humiliation.

"I'll delete the video if you tell me." He sounded sincere.

Marinette met his green eyes, unsure of what to do. She really wanted to have that video deleted. It was embarrassing. She's never had _those kinds of thoughts_ about Nathanael, yet she had to say those things in front of that mirror.

"He's different from everyone else," she answered, her cheeks turning red as an image of the boy popped up in her mind.

"How so?"

"He doesn't care about what everyone else says. He does what he needs to do, and if no one agrees with it, he does it anyway. He's strong and independent."

"Not good looking?" Adrien chuckled, unable to meet her eyes. He looked somewhat despondent.

"Of course he is, but his other qualities are far more important than that."

"I see…" Adrien murmured before pressing a few buttons on his phone. He then sighed and handed Marinette the device. "It's deleted," he said after some time. "Keep the phone if you're so unsure."

Marinette looked at the phone before staring at him questionably. She's never seen him so… defeated. She almost felt bad, but she didn't. She hadn't the slightest clue as to why he was suddenly so sad. Was it because he was being compared to Nathanael again? For the second time, she believed that he deserved it.

Adrien stood up from his seat before flashing Marinette with a look of determination. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng," he said while slamming his palms against the table.

Marinette slightly jumped at the sound of the moving cutlery. She tilted her head upwards, meeting his vibrant green eyes.

"You may like Nathanael now, but one day, you'll see that I'm the one for you."

"Excuse me?" Marinette's face turned red as the other people dining around them turned their heads to view the commotion. "What are you talking about?"

Adrien grinned before holding up another device.

The brightness was dim, but Marinette could see that the video of her confession was playing on mute. She turned pale. She couldn't believe that for a second, she thought that he genuinely deleted the video.

Marinette stood up in protest and lunged forward across the table, trying to grab the device. "Wh-what are you doing!?" she asked, not caring that more heads turned. He's always kept his promises. _Always._

"Marinette," he said, grabbing one of her flailing wrists. He flashed her with his smoulder, causing her to freeze on the spot.

"I'm going to make you love me," he said. "And this video won't be deleted until you do."

Marinette's jaw dropped.

Was this guy being serious? What was his game? What was he trying to do?

He then inched forward, and grinned smugly before pressing his lips against hers.

What did Marinette just get herself into?

* * *

 **So, this is basically where we left off. :)**

 **as usual, leave a like, follow, and/or review.**

 **And if you haven't voted for my poll yet, please do. You still got some time. (:**

 **I won't be updating anything until the end of the month (end of the poll). Thanks~ xoxox**


	4. The Arrangement

**NOTE:** **Hey guys! It's been a long while since I've updated, but here is the next chapter! My writing may be a bit rusty since it's been awhile, but as long as it makes sense, then I'm good.**

 **& & just so you know, this story and Date Night got the most votes on my poll. :)**

 **Thanks, & Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Four: The Arrangement**

Marinette stared up at the ceiling, a feeling of discomfort still remaining in her gut. She rubbed her abdomen through her pajama shirt and sighed while Adrien's voice echoed in her mind. It's been days since that disaster … that putrid kiss, and she hasn't heard anything from him since.

She focused on a single speck of dust that was clinging to the ceiling and bit her bottom lip before pulling her covers over her head. Was any of that real? Was Adrien Agreste really in love with her? Her gut began to churn, but she wasn't sure if it was because of what happened or because she was angry. She rolled over on her side, trying to ignore the slight cramp in her body. Was he trying to humiliate her? Was he trying to pull the prank of the century? Because if he was, Marinette didn't feel like it was going to be funny. He already had a video of her confessing her love to Nathanael. What more could he possibly want… other than what he claimed?

Marinette pulled the covers down and reached for her phone. She pressed down on the home button. She squinted, her eyes adjusting to the bright light. She had no missed calls or text messages. Not even a single comment was posted to her social media page.

Adrien made his confession so public, she was so sure that someone probably filmed it and posted it online – all apart of his master plan to humiliate her.

She tossed her phone to the side before wrapping her arms around her stomach. She knew for sure that the churning in her gut wasn't because she needed to satisfy her hunger. It was because there was a chance that what he said was real – that his feelings were genuine.

Marinette much preferred being humiliated than have someone like him be in love with her. She couldn't even understand how someone like him could. They weren't friends. She barely knew him. He barely knew her. It just didn't add up.

"Marinette!"

The bluenette sat up upon hearing her mother's voice. She then heard a few creaks from the staircase before finally seeing her mom's head pop up into her room.

"Summer vacation just started, and you're already sleeping in?" Her mom teasingly nodded her head in shame. "I thought you'd be waking up early since you'll be going to camp Champ Herbeux."

A small smile formed upon Marinette's face. She pushed her covers to her side before pushing her weight to the side of the bed, letting her feet dangle just an inch from the floor. "I was up early," she lied. She didn't want her mom to know that she was having a hard time sleeping because of some boy. "I was just laying here, thinking about what to do with the kids at the camp. I want them to think I'm a fun counselor."

Her mom smiled widely before wiping a nonexistent tear from the edge of her eye. "I remember when you were just another kid at that summer camp." She sighed. "Now you're going to be a counselor..."

"Yeah. I can't wait to get there." Marinette grabbed her phone and stood up. She was excited to be back in the woods, admiring mother earth, but she was even more excited to get away from the city and away from Adrien. If what he said was true, well, she had to prepare herself for what was going to come.

"Well," said her mom as Marinette made her way to the staircase. "You know your father and I are going to be off to China for the next two weeks, and you're not leaving for another few days." She began to walk down the staircase, making Marinette trail along behind her.

"Yes mom, I know," said Marinette, already knowing what her mother was going to say.

"Make sure that everything is off and closed before you leave. The last thing we need is a burglar in our bakery," her mom said before rambling on about wishing for the bakery to not be closed for over a week.

She followed her mom to the living room where her dad was looking down at his luggage, looking unsure of what he needed to pack.

"Good morning, Marinette." Her father grinned widely before looking back down to a whisk in his right hand and a wooden spoon in his left.

Marinette giggled before walking over to him, snatching the tools from his grip. "You're there to relax dad, not bake."

"Baking is very relaxing," he countered.

Marinette giggled again before feeling her cell vibrate against the palm of her hand. She held the phone in front of her, seeing that Alya was giving her a call. She swiped her finger against the screen before holding it up to her ear. "Alya," she said.

"Hey girl!" Alya said in her usual bright tone. "Are you ready to be a counselor this year?"

"Yeah," said Marinette, making her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a freshly baked scone from the countertop and leaned against the kitchen counter while listening to Alya go on and on about the activities she planned for the summer.

"I can definitely tell that you're excited," Marinette said quickly, trying to get a word in before Alya would continue on with her endless schedule.

"You bet I am!" said Alya. "You know that I've always wanted to be a counselor."

"Yes I know." Marinette walked back into the living room to find her father holding onto two different baking ingredients.

 _Ding! Dong!_

"Marinette!" Marinette's mom yelled aloud. "Can you please get that? I need to pack your father's clothing since he's having a hard time doing it himself."

"Sure, mom!" Marinette yelled out before returning to listening to Alya go on about her plans.

She stuffed the rest of the scone into her mouth before making her way to the front door. She swallowed hard before opening the front door to see that no one was there. She raised a brow wondering if it was just someone who got the wrong address. She took a step out, leaning forward to see if anyone was walking away. As she did, her foot kicked the edge of an object, causing Marinette to look down and see a white square box with a tiny post-it note with her name on it. Marinette bent over and grabbed the box before using her foot to close the door behind her.

"Uhh… Alya, I'll call you back," said Marinette, setting the box on the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, sure. Is everything alright?" asked Alya.

"Yeah. My mom just got a package, and it's kind of heavy. I'm curious to see what it is."

"Alright then. See you later, girl."

Marinette put her phone down after ending her call. She then peeled the post-it note off of the white box and began to inspect the handwriting. She couldn't recognize the writing, but that unsettling feeling in her gut was telling her that it was obviously from him.

Marinette gulped before removing the lid from the box.

She furrowed her brows, confused by the contents in the box. She hesitated at first, but she reached in, pulling out a baseball with the word "Yankees" printed across one side of the ball. She inspected it for a brief second before placing it to the side to inspect the rest of the contents. The next item she pulled out was a small, plastic replica of the Statue of Liberty. Then, there was a picture of the Empire State Building. Other than that, there were several pictures of a cityscape and pins with various pictures on them.

Marinette pushed the contents to the side before finally seeing a white envelope at the very bottom. She peeled the envelope away from the bottom of the box and ripped the edge to view the contents.

Inside was a slip of paper, and Marinette gaped upon reading what was on the paper – a purchase for a ticket all the way to New York City.

 _But why? How? I don't-_

Just then, Marinette's phone began to vibrate. She slightly jumped and dropped the paper into the box. She bit her bottom lip before reaching for her phone, seeing Adrien Agreste's name light up on her screen. She swiped her finger to the right, allowing her to view the incoming message.

"Ready for a fun summer? ;)"

Marinette bit her bottom lip. Did he just buy her a ticket to New York city?

* * *

Marinette tried to make herself comfortable on her cushioned seat. She glanced over her shoulder, scanning the area for anyone that looked suspicious. Her gut was churning to the point where she felt like she was developing some kind of disease. She still felt like Adrien was trying to pull off some kind of prank, but she didn't know what. The only thing she could really do for now was to be aware of her surroundings.

Marinette grabbed onto her hot cup of chamomile tea while glancing over at the quaint fireplace that was not too far from her right. She then looked back over her shoulder, her paranoia growing with each passing second.

"Did you miss me?"

She slightly jumped and almost spilled her boiling hot beverage on her lap as she whipped her head around to see Adrien making himself comfortable in the seat across from her.

"I don't get why we just couldn't discuss your terms at your place," he said while reaching over to break off a piece of banana bread that she ordered while waiting for him. "Your father is a baker. I don't see why you would order anything."

Marinette's left eye slightly twitched. He was acting like they were close friends when it was the exact opposite.

"I don't want anyone to hear about what happened," she said, pushing her banana bread closer to him. He was clearly hungrier than she was.

"Why not?" He grimaced. "By the end of the summer, you're going to be my girlfriend."

Marinette tightened her grip around her cup of tea. She didn't care that the burning sensation was starting to irritate her skin. She bit her bottom lip before scanning the area for the hundredth time. He was talking too loud for her liking. "Will you stop saying that?" she said in a hushed tone. "What do you really want?"

Adrien's face became expressionless. He recomposed himself in his seat and pushed the now empty plate of banana bread to the side. "I meant what I said," he said in a serious tone. "I'll admit that this wasn't exactly the best way to handle my feelings towards you, but it still works in my favor." He slightly smirked.

Marinette placed her cup of tea on the table and stared at him long and hard. She still couldn't believe him. "You know," she started after some time. "If your feelings for me are true, blackmailing me won't win my heart." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Adrien scoffed. "That may be, but who knows… It makes a great story to those who ask."

"This isn't some kind of fairytale. It's not going to somehow magically work in your favor."

"Maybe it will." He grinned. He was pretty persistent, it was making her want to vomit.

"I am not going with you to New York," she said sternly before reaching into her purse to pull out the envelope she found just an hour before. She placed it on the table in front of her and slid it towards him.

"You don't want to see New York?" He pouted.

"No. I'm supposed to be a counselor at Camp Champ Herbeux this year. I'm sorry, but I don't want to upset the kids coming in." She grinned, feeling as if she got the upper hand.

"Really?" He raised a brow, a familiar sinister look returning to his face. "Because… I heard that you weren't able to because you had to go to China with your parents."

"You heard wrong."

"Did I?" He pulled his phone from his pocket and began to dangle it in front of her.

This act caused shivers to travel up her spine. The last time this happened was when she was in the girl's bathroom. She should have just stayed in class and let Chloe continue ridiculing her.

"Wh-what do you think you're doing?" she asked, her confidence waning. She really thought that she could wriggle her way out of this one.

He pulled his phone close to him and began to tap the screen. She waited impatiently, but after a minute, he waved his phone in front of her face.

Marinette gasped, seeing the contents of what looked to be a document. She scanned the page, seeing a list of names. It didn't take her long to realize that this was the list of counselor's for the upcoming trip.

Her jaw dropped as she read the word that was beside her name – 'CANCELLED' in a giant bold font. "Wh-what?" She uttered before squinting her eyes to examine the rest of the contents by her name. By the looks of it, she pulled out of being a counselor a few days ago – to be exact, a day after his so called confession.

"That can't be… you're bluffing!" she said before swatting his phone to the side. "You used photoshop! They would have called me to make sure that I was cancelling."

"I have my ways."

"Th-that's illegal!" Marinette's voice rose. She almost stood from her seat, but she didn't want to cause a scene. Those people at that dinner didn't care about Adrien's outburst, but these people surely would.

Adrien stretched his arms out over his head before crossing his hands behind his neck. "You can go to the cops if you want."

Marinette opened her mouth, but then closed it, unsure of what to say. She wasn't really sure if the cops would care about her spot being pulled from the camp. Even if she told them of what Adrien did, she didn't exactly have the proof, and even if she did, they would tell her to go to whoever was in charge of the camp. "Alya's bound to find out. She will call me, and I'll tell her that it's a mistake."

"You don't have to," he said. "She knows that you're going to China since your cousin Mai Xing is pregnant."

"My cousin…" Marinette trailed off. "How do you know about my cousin Mai Xing?!" She was about to ask him how he knew she was pregnant when she wasn't even aware, but it didn't take her long to realize that it was a lie.

"You're coming with me to New York whether you like it or not," he said before standing from his seat. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins before tossing it onto the wooden table. He softly smiled before using his eyes to point to the slice of banana bread that he ate. Marinette was about to protest, but she was interrupted.

"I'll be swinging by tomorrow night to pick you up," he said. "So you better start packing."

"What if I don't?" She snarled.

"Then I guess you won't have any clothes, and I get to see you naked." He winked before exiting the café.

Marinette opened her mouth in disgust. She thought that her school year was hell. She was wrong. Her summer was going to be spent in purgatory.

* * *

 **& we've reached the end of a chapter again. I hope you guys enjoyed it. **

**As usual, leave a like, favorite, and/or a review.**

 **Thanks for all the support so far. I've gotten much more than I was expecting.**

 **xoxo, until next time!**


	5. The Rules

**Hey guys! Next chapter. This one is longer than the last too :) Thank you to everyone who reviewed since the last chapter. You guys are all amazing!**

 **I think a few of you have asked about Adrien's "jerkness" in this story, and I just want to say that yes he is a jerk, but as time goes on, he's actually not that bad... and things will happen... yeah. :)**

 **Enjoy!~**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: The Rules**

"Your luggage will be arriving down the hall on your left…"

Marinette uncomfortably tiptoed while peeking over a tall passenger, trying to listen to the raised voice of a stewardess telling everyone of where to pick up his or her luggage. Marinette then wrapped her scarf snuggly around her neck before checking her purse for all of her important items. She grabbed onto the empty coffee mug that was wedged in a small mesh pocket where the brochures for the airline were kept.

She groaned, feeling the arm of a stranger jamming into her rib as he barked orders into his phone. He looked like an important businessman whose agenda was running behind schedule, but that didn't stop Marinette from slowly exiting the plane to further fuel his anger. If she wasn't tangled in this mess, she would happily let the man shove past her, but she was aggravated. The only thing that made her feel remotely better was to have someone feel just as tense as her.

Her eyes felt heavy and irritatingly itchy from lack of sleep. Her neck had a kink in it that wouldn't smooth itself out, and her butt was feeling numb and flat as a board. She tried her best to relax and sleep on her eight hour flight, but the boy sitting on her left had to play some game on his laptop for the entire trip, and the clacking sounds of the keyboard was making her head throb. Just when she managed to get some sleep, the lady on her right would start talking to her about cats. It was an endless nightmare. Were these people not tired at all? It was an eight-hour flight for crying out loud.

Marinette stepped out of the terminal, her eyes already scanning for the nearest coffee shop. Nothing. She couldn't believe that Adrien picked her up the day before just to drop her off at the airport and force her into taking a plane on coach while he headed off to his private runway to take a personal jet. She still found it incredibly hard to believe that this guy was supposedly crushing on her. If he took her to this bustling city on his spacious private jet, then she would be slightly impressed. But, no, he had to take all her original plans away from her, have her lie to her friends and family, and force her into a foreign city.

Marinette looked around, reading the signs while trying to recall what the stewardess told her just minutes before. She squinted her eyes while looking at a giant red sign that had its letters blurred from the reflection of the bright sun. She gave up after a mere second from her terrible migraine piercing through her skull. She sighed, and then looked down before deciding to follow a flock of people who looked like they came from the same flight as her.

After many turns and dozens of rides going down escalators, the bluenette finally made it to the conveyor belt that had a bunch of bags already circling around it. She walked over to the conveyor belt, her eyes fixed on finding her bright red piece of luggage.

"Marinette? Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

Marinette stopped halfway to the belt upon hearing a foreign voice calling out her name. It was deep and husky, almost reminding her of her grandfather's voice.

Marinette turned her head to the side, her eyes quickly coming into contact with her giant red suitcase. She definitely knew that it was hers since the top corner of the suitcase had a worn out sticker of a ladybug on it. Her eyes trailed upwards, finding a pair of chubby hands wrapped around the handle. The knuckles were hairy and were unfamiliar to her.

"Blue hair. Pigtails. Bluebell eyes. You must be Marinette Dupain-Cheng, correct?"

Marinette's head tilted upwards to meet the eyes of the individual who had their hands on her belongings. Marinette couldn't see his mouth through his bushy moustache, but she could tell that he was welcoming her with a smile through the wrinkles around his eyes.

"My name is Norman," he greeted before lending out a hand to her. "I'll be your personal driver for the duration of your trip." He cleared his voice upon noticing the hesitation on Marinette's face. "Courtesy of Mr. Adrien, of course. I'd call him Mr. Agreste, but that's taken by his father." He smiled again.

Marinette smiled back, not wanting to appear unfriendly. She was tired and was probably giving everyone the death stare, but she couldn't help it. She grasped his hand, slightly taken aback by how big it was. She could barely see her fingers wrap around his hand.

"I'm sorry for taking your luggage off the belt without your permission," he said, pushing the luggage towards her after ending their introduction. "If you don't trust me-"

"It's fine." Marinette interrupted, her face hurting from trying to hold a smile. She never knew that she could be so tired that she could barely move her mouth. "I was hoping that someone would help me. It's pretty heavy, and I don't think I have the energy to lug it around."

"First time on a long flight?"

"No. I go to China every few years. This is just the first where it wasn't really planned."

"Mr. Adrien must be delighted to know that you arrived here safely."

Marinette tried her best to keep her emotions stoic. She didn't even want to think about that pompous jerk, but she was curious to know where he was. She thought that he was going to be the first one to greet her at the airport.

Marinette slightly leaned to the side, looking pass Norman's hovering figure. She didn't realize how tall and big boned this man was. "Is Adrien not here?" she asked, curiously. She could careless about him, but he was the only familiar face to her, and right now, she needed to see someone familiar.

"No. You'll be meeting Mr. Adrien at the resort."

"At the resort?" Marinette questioned, her blood starting to boil. First, he pushed her on a flight all by herself. Now, he wasn't even there to pick her up at the airport. If she had to base her romantic feelings for him on a meter, it would be way below zero.

"He's attending a meeting for his father," Norman said, looking at her with a saddened expression. He then perked up and cleared his throat. "Not a very good boyfriend." He teased.

"Not my boyfriend." Marinette gritted through her teeth, while attempting to crush the coffee mug in the palm of her hands. She quickly bit down on her tongue, trying to calm her growing anger. Norman seemed like a good man. She didn't want him to see the bad side of her. If he worked for Adrien, he would probably tell him of everything she said.

Norman chuckled before turning on his heel, leading her to their ride. "I only assumed so since he talks so highly of you."

"Really now." Marinette sounded unconvinced.

"Oh yes," he replied as they exited through the sliding doors.

Marinette pulled her scarf closer to her chest as a gentle breeze tickled her nape. The early morning chill was making her want to snuggle up to a pillow under the thickest blanket she could find.

"Mr. Adrien talks highly of all his classmates, but you seem to stand out the most."

 _Yeah, right._ Marinette thought. _I'm sure he gave you a script before meeting me._

* * *

The ride to the hotel was long from the traffic and overall, quiet. Marinette noticed Norman sneaking glances at her through the rearview mirror from time to time, wanting to start a conversation, but he probably stopped after noticing the dark circles under her eyes. Once they arrived at their destination, Norman gave her a card, and told her to call him anytime she wanted a ride someplace in the city. He told her all expenses were going to be charged to 'Mr. Adrien'. Marinette was surely going to take advantage of that offer. She was forced to be here. She might as well enjoy it, especially if it was going to be free.

Marinette gulped as she stared up at the towering resort ahead of her. She's seen hotels and stayed at plenty, but this was one of those places where it looked like it was exclusively for the rich and famous.

She tightly gripped to the strap of her purse as she took a glance to her left, noticing a group of girls staring at her with eyes of disgust. They looked only a few years older than her, and if Marinette didn't attend school with Chloe, she wouldn't know that they were most likely staring at her because of her choice of wardrobe. They were all practically wearing the most expensive brands with the best quality of makeup and hair products. They looked as if they came straight out of a fashion magazine.

"Who the hell is she?" One of the girls asked in an irate tone, not caring that Marinette could clearly hear her.

"She probably has the wrong place."

Suddenly, Marinette felt like she was back in school, being followed by the deathly stares of Chloe and her posse. Only this time, this was out of the jungle that is high school and into the real world – the place she were to survive after that hellish nightmare.

"Uhh… yes… Miss. Dupain-Cheng!"

Marinette stiffly turned her attention to a thin man standing by the entrance. He looked the exact opposite from Norman who looked scraggly, but obviously well kept. This man was tall and thin with his hair slicked back and not a single tress of hair out of place. Instead of a beard, he had the most pointed jawline Marinette has ever seen. He strutted over to her, poise and sophisticated, making Marinette feel even more out of place.

"Hi?" Marinette blinked, clutching onto her luggage. She was looking straight ahead at the man, but all she could think about were the judging eyes of those girls.

He smiled widely, blinding Marinette with his incredibly white pearls. "You have been assigned to the Scarlet Suite on the highest floor."

"Highest floor?" Marinette repeated. She's never stayed on the highest floor of any hotel, yet alone a suite. Any hotel she's even stayed at only ever had twelve floors. This place looked as if it had a hundred, maybe even more. Then again, she never stayed at a resort.

"Yes, of course." He slightly pushed her, making her enter the resort.

The last thing that Marinette could hear was the whispers of those girls suddenly changing their opinions about her.

"Yes, so I am Anthony. I will be tending to your needs here at the resort," he said hurriedly as he pushed her into an elevator. He barely gave her enough time to even look around the lobby.

Marinette glanced to her left at the buttons, noticing that the grid went up to the number seventy-eight. It wasn't a hundred, but it was still way more than any other place she's been to. Anthony leaned over, swiping a card at the side of the panel before pressing the button that had the number '78' on it.

Marinette's heart skipped a beat. She could not believe that she was getting a room on that floor. It made her curious about the floors those girls were staying on. They obviously had to be much lower than hers if her floor number was the reason for their sudden change in judgment.

"Well, yes, yes, yes," Anthony said, hurriedly as the elevator came to a stop. "Here is your key card. Your room will be on the left. You won't miss it." He handed her the card before taking a quick glance at his Rolex. He then slightly pushed Marinette out of elevator along with her luggage, leaving her with a look of confusion on her face. "Terribly sorry dear," he mumbled before reaching over to slide another card by the panel once more. "Use your card to access the elevator!" He finished before the giant steel doors closed in front of her.

Marinette stood there for a second, unsure of what to think. She felt so rushed that she started to question if Anthony was actually real.

She shook her head and turned to her left, finding the words 'Scarlet Suite' etched onto a golden plaque that hung by a wide set of doors. She shrugged before dragging her luggage behind her. The hall itself looked rather extravagant, but Marinette didn't care in the slightest. She's been dragged into the world of the rich when she set foot into the Agreste mansion. Everything looked modern and sleek, and was all aesthetically pleasing, but the experience wasn't going to have her jaw drop in awe every time she set foot in it. This was the Agreste world for crying out loud. She expected it ever since she knew him.

Marinette swiped her card against the reader and waited for the green light and tone of approval. She then placed a hand on the golden knob before turning it, and pushing the wide door out in front of her.

Marinette's eyes widened and her jaw practically fell to the ground. She was wrong - absolutely wrong. She thought that the extravagant décor of the rich would no longer surprise her, but she was absolutely wrong. Marinette closed her mouth and swallowed upon feeling a thread of drool slipping from her mouth. She pulled the strap of her purse further up her shoulder before shrugging.

"This is no big deal," she muttered to herself as she walked into the room, wheeling in her luggage.

To her right was a quaint sitting area with oversized windows taking up the entirety of the wall. To her left was a kitchen, bigger than the one in her own home with a dining table built for six. Everything was so modern and sleek with black and white trim. Marinette could only imagine what lied in the hall ahead of her.

Marinette walked over to the nearest upholstered couch and set her belongings on it. She then walked over to one of the large windows and tugged on the cord, causing the fabric to pull together and move upwards. Marinette blinked, not realizing how bright the sun was shining in. As her eyes adjusted, she looked down, staring down at the entirety of the resort. There was a huge pool in the center with many slides twisting and turning into different parts of the pool. Around that were other tall buildings, making Marinette wonder about how many rooms were actually in this place. Behind all of that were the hovering buildings of New York City. Since the resort was so big, it was built just outside of it, closer to the side of Manhattan.

Marinette looked to her right, tempted to walk down the hall to see her room and the bathroom. Her day started terribly though, and the only thing that seemed to brighten up her day so far was this room, and maybe, Norman. She needed to save the surprise for later. Who knows what other things were going to pull her emotions into a pool of depression? She still needed to meet Adrien, and boy did she have a lot to say to him.

Marinette grabbed her key card and left the room, deciding on exploring the place.

She roamed around the lobby, finding conference rooms and gift shops – with items no regular customer could even afford. She continued getting looks from the people around her, but that didn't stop her from walking towards the pool area to the other buildings. The first building she encountered contained more rooms – rooms for those who were less rich than the ones staying in her assigned building. She continued on route to another building, finding an indoor botanical garden. She had an urge to explore the place, but decided against it. She needed to hold onto every positive thing of this place and spread it across her calendar to keep her moods in check. She then wandered into another conference room, only this time; it was ten times bigger with a runway down the middle. Marinette assumed this was where Mr. Agreste was going to be showing his newest designs for the summer. She was about to explore every inch of the room, only to be kicked out because the workers were setting up for an upcoming show. She supposed her dream of becoming a fashion designer had to be put on hold.

Marinette stepped out of the room, looking from left to right, wondering of where she should go next.

"Marinette? Is that you?" A familiar voice sounded not too far away.

Marinette shook her head, her eyes darting all over the place to find who was calling out to her. She then spotted a familiar red cap closing in on her.

"Ni-Nino?" Marinette questioned as she met his eyes. "Nino!" She called out again, happily. She rushed over to him, embracing him in a tight hug.

"Uhh…" Nino sounded confused before he hesitantly wrapped his own arms around her.

"Sorry," Marinette giggled awkwardly before pulling away. She's never hugged Nino before. "It's just nice to see a familiar face."

He chuckled. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you were supposed to be a counselor at Camp Champ Herbeux."

"I could ask you the same thing." Marinette raised a brow. "You were supposed to be a counselor this year too, weren't you?"

"Uhh… yeah…" Nino raised his hand and began to rub the exposed part of his neck. It made Marinette wonder if he was also being blackmailed into being here. Not that she was complaining. Her summer just got better having a friend here.

"Adrien said he wanted me to play music at the events happening before his dad's summer launch. I couldn't miss out on this, so I agreed." He smiled widely, making Marinette question if he was telling the truth. "How about you?"

"Oh, uhh…" This time Marinette was the one rubbing her neck. "You know that it's my dream to be a fashion designer."

"So you finally have an internship?" His eyes widened.

"Uhh… sorta…?" Marinette halfheartedly agreed. It was his assumption, so technically she wasn't lying.

"I'm so proud of you!" He rose up his hand, making a fist.

Marinette bumped her fist against his before happily sighing. Nino seriously just lifted a huge weight off of her shoulders.

"So, Nino, are you going to introduce me?"

Nino shifted his eyes to his left, causing Marinette to turn her head. She pursed her lips, as she stared at the girl who was standing beside him. She was as tall as Alya with a petite figure and perfectly bronzed skin. She had long brown hair that looked as soft as silk and captivating green eyes. She was incredibly beautiful, making Marinette's gut churn – not for her sake, but for Alya's. It took Alya sometime to admit that she had feelings for Nino, and this summer she planned to get closer to him. Marinette gulped, feeling horrible. Alya had no Marinette or Nino for the summer.

"I'm Lila. Lila Rossi." The girl held her hand out for Marinette to shake. "I was just showing Nino around."

Being friendly, Marinette grasped her hand and shook it. "Marinette," she responded with a slightly shaky tone. The softness of her hands and the perfectly shaped nails and manicure were enough to make Marinette feel intimidated.

"I'll be a model for Mr. Agreste's show."

"That's cool," said Marinette before turning back to Nino, looking for signs that he was interested in this girl. It didn't seem like it, which was a pretty good sign.

"So I guess all of our dreams are coming true for the summer, huh?" Lila giggled while tucking a tress of hair behind her ear.

"Seems like it," Nino responded while looking away from the girls. "I'll be right back," he said. "My supervisor for the summer is over there, and I need to ask him a few things." He then jogged away before giving the girls anything to say.

Marinette quietly sighed in relief. If Nino had an actual supervisor, then that obviously meant that he wasn't being blackmailed. His eagerness to also talk to his supervisor had to show that he had no interest in Lila. That was good news for Alya, but Marinette still had to keep an eye on him.

"So," said Lila, causing Marinette to look back at her. "I assume you know Adrien from school."

"Pretty much," Marinette said. "How do you know him?"

"My parents own the resort," she said. "You can say that we know each other through business affairs."

"I see," said Marinette, wanting to say goodbye. Her presence was too intimidating, especially after being told that her parents owned the place.

"This is kind of weird, but can I ask you for a favor?"

Marinette blinked. She had to say yes. This girl could get her thrown out if she wanted to. "Sure, anything."

"Are you close to Adrien? Can you tell me anything about him?" She slightly blushed.

Marinette eyed her in wonder. As the seconds ticked by, Lila's face began to turn bright red, and she couldn't help but stare at the ground. It made Marinette realize that this girl probably had a huge crush on him. It had to be incredibly huge if her face was going that red without his actual presence. She found it astonishing – she couldn't believe that someone actually liked that pompous jerk.

"I'm not very close to him," said Marinette. "I won a contest and her father noticed my designs."

"Oh," said Lila, disappointment plastered on her face. She then perked up and smiled as if she didn't just let Marinette see her vulnerable side. "I guess I'll just have to find out about him on my own."

Marinette grinned. Maybe she could shove Adrien towards Lila for the whole summer. If he were to fall in love with her, she would be freed from his reign.

"Anyways," said Lila. "I should be going. It was nice meeting you."

"You too."

* * *

Marinette trudged onwards to her suite, feeling tired as ever. She didn't realize that she hasn't eaten anything since her flight in. Added to her lack of sleep, she was terrible drained. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, checking the time. It was only 2PM. She supposed she could take a nap and then call room service and order the most expensive thing on the menu.

Marinette pushed the door wide open before groaning and walking into the room.

"There you are."

She looked up to see Adrien making himself comfortable on the chaise lounge.

"Where have you been?" he asked. "I've been waiting for you for almost a half hour."

Marinette narrowed her eyes, feeling what was left of her energy traveling up her veins. "Excuse me?" she gritted through her teeth. "You were waiting for me? I was waiting for you!" She raised her voice.

Adrien chuckled. "You're cute when you're angry," he said.

Marinette wanted to barf. She wanted to yell again, but she didn't want to be called cute, especially by him. Plus, her brief moment of scolding was enough to completely tucker her out. Instead, she walked over to the couch opposite from the one he was sitting on.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I really wanted to meet you at the airport, but I had to take care of things for my father."

Marinette ignored his apology. It didn't seem sincere. It seemed more like an excuse.

"You forced me into a place ride I didn't want to be apart of," she said, weakly. "I thought you said that you liked me. If you wanted to impress me, you could have taken me with you on your plane."

"You wanted to join me on my ride?" He questioned. "I made you go alone, to cool off. Isn't that what you wanted?" He tilted his head in curiosity.

Marinette opened her mouth, ready to fight back, but she didn't think about that. She was incredibly angry about the surprise trip, and she didn't even talk to him on their way to the airport. She supposed he was right. She crossed her arms. "Then next time, I'll take the jet, and you can fly coach."

"So there's a next time." He smirked.

"What" No- I just-"

Adrien chuckled before placing a folder on the glass table between them.

"What is that?" Marinette asked, defeated. He always had a way with turning the conversation in his favor.

"The rules."

"The rules?" She questioned before sitting up. "What rules?"

"For the trip." He opened the folder, revealing one singular page tucked into the fold. "You must obey each and every rule to get your video deleted."

She scowled as he took the paper out and slid it across the table for her to view. There weren't a lot of words on the page, which was a good thing, but the fact that there were rules still made it pretty bad.

"First," he said. "You can't tell anyone what's going on or your video will be emailed to everyone."

"Who will I tell?" she asked. "I don't know anyone here." Nino was here, but she didn't want him getting tangled in her mess. She wanted him to enjoy his summer as a DJ.

He smiled. "That reminds me. Give me your phone."

"What?" Marinette placed a hand on the pocket that was holding her device. "Why do you need my phone?"

"You can't use it for the summer," he said while reaching into his pocket. "You have to use this one." He slid a new phone in front of her – a new model that wasn't even supposed to be out for at least another six months.

"Are you bribing me with new items?" she asked.

"No. I just happen to have something new. I just don't want you texting Alya or anyone else."

"You think I won't text her with a new phone?"

He chuckled again. "I can see what numbers you're calling and texting."

"I'm pretty sure you can't do that."

"Fine, then I'll just go over there and place the new phone on your lap while reaching into your pocket for your old one." He winked, causing her to shudder.

Marinette scowled again before reaching over for the new phone. Adrien then gave her a look, causing her to roll her eyes as she handed him her old cell.

He then smiled. "You're not allowed to flirt with anyone else, but me."

"So that means no one at all," she said.

He ignored her comment. "We must go on dates two times a week and you must attend every event with me."

"Every event?" Marinette sighed. "I don't really want to partake in the lavish events. It's not really my scene."

"Then I guess it's goodbye social life."

Marinette shrugged. She was seriously contemplating telling him to just send that video to everyone. The earlier the better. Maybe no one will remember by the end of summer. She scrunched her fists. She didn't want Nathanael to know though, at least not in that way. She wanted to confess her feelings to him in a much more appropriate manner.

Adrien then stood up from the chaise lounge. "Stick to the rules, and you'll be just fine."

"Will you?" asked Marinette. "I guarantee you that I won't be falling for you anytime soon."

Adrien put on his summer jacket and walked pass her. "We'll see about that," he said quietly. "Oh, and, I suggest you get some sleep."

"Hmm?" Marinette turned around to look at him.

He slightly turned his head, looking back at her. "You look like a panda and I don't want the makeup artists wasting all of their concealer for tonight."

"Excuse me?"

"Event number one is tonight."

"Tonight?!" Marinette's jaw dropped.

Adrien chuckled. "Welcome to my world. I'll be back at seven." And with that, he disappeared.

* * *

 **& we've reached the end of another chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **As usual, leave a favorite, follow, and/or a review.**

 **They mean so much to me. :)**


	6. Welcoming Party

**Chapter Six: Welcoming Party**

Marinette sighed heavily as she pulled her knees towards her chest. The sudden movement caused the water all around her to sway about before settling in. She pressed down on the hot towel that was resting on her forehead and sighed again as the rose scented bath bomb effervesced around her. The bath bomb swirled about, leaving trails of red and pink in the water while a faint sound of fizzing tickled her senses. She smiled, feeling as if she was in heaven as she dipped her index finger into the warmth, tracing the reddish pink trail as a few rose petals floated about.

She was right. She knew that saving the surprise of exploring the rest of her suite was going to keep her mood in check. She slept incredibly well in her king sized, canopied bed that had six of the most softest and fluffiest pillows in the world. She would have slept for ages if it weren't for Anthony waking her from her deep slumber, telling her to get ready for the event.

Marinette hummed a sweet tune as she stretched her limbs. She chuckled quietly, still completely amused by the fact that she could lay completely straight and still have extra room in the tub – maybe room to put in a relatively huge floaty and pretend that she was in her own private pool.

She glanced over to her right, checking the time on the digital clock that was embedded into the wall with a thin glass of layer on top. She had to get out now or face another one of Adrien's threats if she showed up to the event late. She sunk down deep into the water until her nostrils were tickling the surface. She blew out hard, allowing a few bubbles to float up. She then glanced up at the large widescreen TV that was embedded into the wall just beside the clock. On the bright side, she had something else to look forward to the next time she decided on taking a long bath – which was going to be very soon.

Marinette dried herself off and slipped into a white bathrobe and a pair of cottony slippers. She covered her head with one of the dozen towels on a rack and twisted it into a bun to dry off her hair before exiting the bathroom and into her dream-come-true of a bedroom.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng. How was your bath? Was it well enough for you? Do you need more bath salts or bath bombs? Maybe a different scent?"

Marinette staggered backwards, surprised by Anthony's sudden presence. She thought he came in earlier just to remind her of tonight's event. She didn't think he would have stayed, but he clearly did since he remade her bed.

"Hi?" she blinked again while clutching her ball of now wrinkled clothes. She was thankful for the bathrobes supplied in the bathroom, or else she would be swatting this man away like a pesky fly. "The bath bombs are fine?" That was the first time she has ever used a bath bomb. She couldn't provide him with any thoughts.

"I see," he said before walking over to the arched doorway that Marinette hasn't explored yet. "Well, I will see to it that you get a variety of those in your washroom." He smiled before pressing a finger against the edge of the doorway. He began to apologize for their first encounter, but Marinette was too focused on staring at the wall that moved upwards to reveal one of the last rooms she hasn't explored – the closet.

"Now," said Anthony as he led Marinette into the room that was causing her to mentally hyperventilate. "The theme for this event is formal wear. The theme's color will be chiffon rose."

"Chiffon Rose?" Marinette questioned. She assumed he meant some kind of pink or reddish color. She began to tune out his instructions as she stared at the walls of overpriced clothing that was on either side of her. Shelves upon shelves continued down the long and narrow room and the whole thing seemed to be categorized by color and brand and season. As they passed a round, upholstered ottoman, the shelves were no longer filled with clothes, but with accessories and purses and a gazillion shoes. None of this could be hers to wear, could it?

"So, I'll just place Adrien's request here…" said Anthony as they came to a stop at the very back. This was the only wall that had no shelf – just a giant TV screen with the Agreste fashion logo on it.

Anthony pressed a finger against the logo and the screen faded to black before the word 'Occasion' scrolled across the top before coming to a stop. A series of words then popped up below it. Anthony pressed on the word 'Formal' and another screen appeared, showing more words like 'Color', or 'Style' or 'Length'.

Marinette stared, unable to blink. She could feel her eyes drying up, but she couldn't take her eyes away from the screen.

"And that will be it," he said before pressing enter. He turned around and placed his hands on Marinette's shoulders, urging her to turn around as well. A few clicks were heard, and then Marinette gasped as a few drawers slid open on their own. Beyond that, a dozen dresses slid out into the open, perfectly pressed and on hangers.

"But…" she said, speechless. "How… What…" She continued at a loss for words.

"It makes choosing clothes much easier," said Anthony, answering the question that her mind couldn't formulate. "It's a new system. Only those on this level get to try it out."

"Wha… huh?" She felt herself drooling.

She wiped away the saliva, hoping that Anthony didn't notice as he led her to one of the open drawers. Marinette took a peek inside, finding a few necklaces laying on a white, soft material that had LED lights lighting up the sides. Marinette began to admire the jewels and intricate designs until her eyes rested upon a green light that was rapidly blinking by a golden-chained necklace. Attached to the center of the necklace was a intricate sapphire encrusted dove.

"That one is chosen for this event," Anthony pointed out. "Along with others of course." He pointed to the other open drawers. "Now we just choose what looks good on you and once we find the perfect match, your makeup and hair team will be on their way."

"My what?"

* * *

 _I'm sure you'll be okay. Just… avoid walking down a set of stairs._

Those were the last words Anthony said to Marinette before helping her find her way to the event hall. She had to clutch onto his arm the entire time since her coral colored stilettos were preventing her from walking properly. There were a dozen of flats in that closet, but Anthony was adamant about only wearing the shoes that that had that pesky green light flashing beside it. There was a pair of coral colored flats right beside those heels. She couldn't understand what the big deal was.

Marinette took a deep breath as she entered the hall as poised as she could. She gathered a ball of fabric from her pale pink gown and lifted it to prevent herself from tripping over it – not to mention, ruining an incredibly expensive dress. She felt like she was walking on a bed of needles. She almost let out a groan with every step, but she didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb. A group of girls passed by her, wearing the same type of footwear, and they had no problem with it. If they could do it, she could do it too.

She despised Adrien, but she assumed that he was going to pick her up from her room. He was the one forcing her into this while dragging her into a cage with a few other sets of rules. She could understand – to the best of her abilities – as to why he didn't take her with him on his private jet, but she couldn't understand this. Wasn't he supposed to be on the clock? Wasn't he supposed to be already trying to make her love him?

Marinette bit her bottom lip, feeling a throbbing pain emanating from the sole of her foot. It didn't help that she still had to break them in. She looked straight ahead, seeing that she was only a couple feet away from entering the actual venue.

 _I can do this._ She mentally told herself as she tried to ignore the pain.

She walked as fast as she could before pressing her palms against the wide set doors, pushing it open. She walked in to find two men in suits standing on either side of a velvety pink curtain that was loosely hung against each wall.

"And you are?" The man on the right asked as the one on the left began ushering a few girls past all the fabric.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Marinette answered, sneaking glances of the room beyond the curtains.

The man looked down to his clipboard. "Ahh yes," he said after some time. "The young master has been waiting for you. You're at the top of his list." He raised his arm and pushed some of the fabric back, allowing Marinette to enter the room.

Marinette looked all around, surprised that the place looked like it came from right out of the Victorian era. The building looked so modern and sleek, she assumed that the venue would look the same. It wasn't just decorated with objects themed from that time, but the walls were etched with such intricate florally patterns, and there were pillars stationed at equal intervals across the back wall. There was a giant chandelier at the center of the room with strings of jewels hanging from the elaborate base.

Marinette looked at all the invited guests who were all already well acquainted with one another. People who were just entering the room were already getting waves and calls from friends. She shuffled over to the side, standing next to a potted plant. She didn't want anyone to notice that she was an outsider. She hoped to find Nino standing by the stage, playing some music, but this event wasn't suited for his taste. The only performers on that stage were older people playing classical instruments.

"Marinette?" If I remember correctly, that is your name."

Marinette turned to find Lila greeting her with a friendly smile. She was wearing a shimmering, golden gown. "Oh, uhm. Lila, right?" Marinette's face turned slightly red from staring at the goddess that was standing before her. She felt like a dull, tiny pebble standing next to her. Anthony and his crew pampered her to the best of their abilities, but she paled in comparison. Even with all that makeup, she couldn't help feeling intimidated by Lila's beauty. Her makeup was much more natural compared to hers and her skin glowed beautifully under the lights.

"I'm guessing you're not used to coming to these kind of events."

"No, not really," Marinette answered as she took a glance over Lila's shoulder. Behind her stood that group of girls that was judging Marinette when she first arrived at the resort. She should've known that they would be trailing behind Lila. They seemed like the type to befriend whoever was in charge.

"These are my friends," Lila said, noticing Marinette's eyes linger over towards them. She began to introduce them to Marinette, but Marinette paid no attention to remembering their names. Lila seemed like a nice girl, but she wasn't going to befriend a bunch of people who only cared about status. To be polite, Marinette simply shook their hands and smiled.

"I thought I would be able to find Nino. He's the only one I really know, so…" Marinette trailed off.

"Unfortunately, Nino couldn't make it to this party. He has to sort out a bunch of albums. He was pretty bummed to hear that he had to miss this event for that, but what can you do when you're an intern?"

"Right." Marinette said.

"Lila!" The blonde petite friend called out ecstatically. "There he is! And he's coming your way!" All the girls burst into a fit of giggles, causing Marinette to wonder what they were acting so giddy about.

Marinette turned her head, finding Adrien walking their way. He was in a tux with his hands in his pockets. Even if the event called for being formal and poised, his hair was still disheveled as ever – probably more disheveled than when she saw him hours before. Marinette would be lying to herself if she said that Adrien wasn't attractive. She just wasn't aware of how good he looked in a suit.

Upon meeting Marinette's eyes, a small smile spread across his face. Marinette immediately looked away, hoping that he didn't pick up on her thought. She wasn't checking him out. She just turned to find what Lila's friends were hyperventilating about.

"Lila," said Adrien.

"Ad-Adrien," Lila squeaked, her face turning red. Suddenly, Marinette's feelings of intimidation were no longer there.

"It's been awhile. You look great."

"Th-Thanks. So do you."

He flashed her with his smoulder, making Marinette want to roll her eyes. She couldn't believe that Lila had her eyes on him. She was so nice, and he was so… repulsive.

"I see that you met Marinette," he said while turning to look at Marinette. He stared at her longer than she would have liked him to and then opened his mouth to say something, but at the last minute, he decided against it.

"Yeah." Lila faltered. "Are you two close?"

Marinette opened her mouth, ready to utter the word no, but she was side swept by Adrien who simply said that it was complicated.

"Complicated?" Lila asked.

"I'm hoping to get to know her better by the end of this trip."

Lila looked surprised. "Because she's an intern for your father?" she asked.

Marinette's face turned red as Adrien turned to look at her, a hint of confusion written on his face. "Yeah…" he answered. "So for the night, I'm sorry to say that Marinette here is my date." He took a step closer to the bluenette before slithering his arm around her and resting his hand on her waist. Marinette flinched at the sudden physical contact.

"I hope you have a good time Lila. I'll see you later." He smiled while slightly pushing Marinette away with him.

"You told her that you have an internship with my father?" Adrien asked as Marinette looked back at Lila who looked loss in thought.

"She asked me why I was here. What was I supposed to say?" Marinette retorted while removing his pesky hand away from her waist. "I couldn't say that you blackmailed me into coming here and I didn't exactly come here looking like a rich person."

Adrien chuckled like he was amused by the whole situation. He stopped at a small round table that had a chocolate fountain at the center with fruits and other sweets placed around it. He grabbed onto a thin pretzel and took a bite out of it. "Blackmailed? That hurts."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "That's the truth."

"You could have said no to coming here." He grinned, clearly enjoying the situation. He grabbed another pretzel and dipped it into the pool of chocolate before crunching down on it.

"No. I couldn't." She really wanted to take a pretzel and shove it up his nose.

Adrien grimaced and then met her eyes. "I'll get you an internship," he said.

"What makes you think that I want one?"

"You're striving to be a fashion designer aren't you? Isn't it your hobby?"

"How do you know that it's my hobby?"

Adrien bit his bottom lip. "Do you not believe me when I say that I like you?"

"No." She answered too quickly for his liking. "I don't want you getting me an internship. I'd rather get it on my own. Now excuse me," she said, turning on her heel. "It's not in your list of rules for me to stay with you for the whole night. I made my appearance, and these heels are killing my feet." Not caring that she was ruining her public image, Marinette bent over, intending on taking off her stilettos and returning to her room barefoot.

"Wow."

Before she could manage to pry the darn heel from her foot, Marinette looked up, her eyes coming into contact with a familiar hue of red.

"It really is you. You look stunning."

Marinette stood up straight, her face turning bright red. "Na-Nathanael?" she uttered. "What you are here doing?" She pursed her lips, and reworded her sentence.

Nathanael laughed and flashed her with his adorable smile. "I can ask you the same thing. I thought you were so supposed to be a counselor at a camp with Alya."

"I… uhm…"

"She has an internship too." Adrien answered, taking a step forward to stand next to her.

"Really? That's pretty cool. I guess we'll be working together."

"Yeah…" Marinette whispered, the beat of her heart ringing through her ears.

"Anyways, I'm gonna go track down some finger sandwiches, but before I forget, I'm really happy for you two."

"Huh?"

"I never saw it coming, but seeing you two here, together-" He lifted an index finger and wiggled it between the two. "You two definitely make a cute couple."

* * *

 **That concludes the chapter :)**

 **As usual, leave a like/follow and/or review!**

 **Have a good day!**


	7. Breakfast

**Hey guys! I know it's been awhile. I haven't been writing as much for any of my stories. I had a bunch of plans, but life got in the way. haha. Anyways, I'll be updating regularly (once or twice a week) starting in September - assuming that something else doesn't pop up. But that's the plan!**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter! :) I'm still amazed by all the support this story has gotten. Thanks so much!**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: Breakfast**

Marinette knew that something was up the second her sight laid upon a silver domed platter that was placed atop the marbled kitchen counter. The scent of fried dough and sweet berries tickled her senses as she sniffed the air. It reminded her of waking up to her father's freshly baked goods, only this time; she knew that she wasn't going to be welcomed by her father's warm embrace.

She stood there for a moment, contemplating if she should check it out or leave it alone. For all she knew, Adrien was setting her up something. She clutched her chest as a familiar ache returned. Once again, Nathanael's words struck her mind – _you two definitely make a cute couple_. What did that mean? Did he see the two and thought that they would look good together? Or, was he told that her and Adrien was a couple and was complimenting their newly formed 'relationship'? It had to be the latter of the two, and even if it wasn't, well, the thought was already out there, dissipating any chances Marinette could have to win Nathanael's heart.

Marinette took a few steps towards the counter and wrapped her fingers around the cold, embossed handle of the domed lid. She removed the lid and set it aside, the sweet scents overwhelming her senses. She glanced down, finding a folded piece of eggshell colored cardstock sitting on top of a stack of perfectly rounded waffles. Beside that were three small ramekins – two filled with jams and the other filled with melted chocolate.

Marinette's mouth parted, and she licked her lips as hunger overtook her senses. She gulped and shook her head while lifting the folded piece of cardstock. It didn't have her name on it, but she knew it was for her. Muddled through all the sweet scents, she could faintly smell a familiar cologne – a cologne she absolutely despised.

Marinette reluctantly opened up the card.

 _Good morning milady. How was your sleep? I slept well in case you're wondering. I hope you enjoyed last night's soiree. Whether you did or not, I sadly have to inform you with a couple… disappointments._

Marinette rolled her eyes at that last sentence before perusing the rest of the letter.

 _For starters, you need to work on walking gracefully in heels. Your posture could also use some work. I've set you up with some private lessons with Anthony to help you improve in these areas. Secondly, your acting isn't very convincing. You're supposed to be my girlfriend. Act like it or something terrible will happen. I figure Nathanael's comment is enough for you to focus. I bet you're wondering if I had anything to do with that._

 _I wish I could have discussed this with you over breakfast, but I have a few things to take care of. I hope you enjoy your meal._

 _Sincerely, Adrien._

 _P.S: Tonight will be our first date. I'll come by your suite at 7PM._

Marinette retched at the thought of having to go on a date with the narcissist. She thought that she would have a few days to settle in before ensuing with all of his plans. She tossed the card to the side, not caring that it slid off the table. She then turned to her plate of waffles. It was beautifully arranged on the platter in front of her, and her stomach was begging for her to consume it. She clutched the hem of her shirt and pushed the dish away, placing the lid back on top of it. There was absolutely no way that she was going to eat something that Adrien could have possibly poisoned. She was just going to have to starve to death, or better yet, take advantage of his wealth.

Marinette smirked and walked over to the closet where her coat was being kept. She thought about changing into something more appropriate for such a luxurious place, but decided against it as she took a glance at herself in front of the body-sized mirror. If Adrien wanted her to be seen as his girlfriend, then being her true self was going to be apart of that package, and frankly, Marinette couldn't imagine herself going downstairs to the breakfast buffet in something elegant at 8AM in the morning. She wouldn't do that anywhere else, so there was no reason for her to do it here.

Marinette took a closer look at her reflection in the mirror. She raised an eyebrow, an idea forming in her mind. She then removed her hair ties, and tousled her hair. There was no rule in that stupid folder saying that she had to look good. She smiled wickedly before proudly stepping out into the hall, making sure that her key card was in her jacket pocket.

Marinette pulled the knob towards her, ensuring that it was properly closed. She smiled to herself, wondering how the guests were going to react to how she was dressed. They had to throw her out for acting like such a commoner. At that point, it would be bye-bye New York, and hello Camp Champ Herbeux.

Marinette comfortably fitted her jacket around her body, and then turned around upon hearing another click of a door. Her face turned red upon seeing the very familiar, luscious, red locks.

Nathanael stepped out of his suite, with a phone to his ear. He seemed to be talking about fabrics or books or colors. Marinette couldn't hear it through the panic rising from within her, causing the relentless beat of her heart to ring through her ears.

 _I can't let Nathanael see me like this. I just can't!_

Marinette's hands trembled as she reached for the keycard in her pocket. She fumbled with the thin piece of plastic, trying to reach for the door, but ended up dropping the card.

"Shoot," Marinette whispered while quickly bending down to pick up the card. Maybe she still had time, and Nathanael wouldn't notice her.

"Marinette?"

Marinette closed her eyes and picked up the card, gripping onto it tightly. At the very least, she wanted to fix her hair. She couldn't though – not with him watching her.

Marinette took a deep breath and slowly stood up before mustering the courage to open her eyes and look at Nathanael.

"Hey…" she said, shyly. "Morning good! I mean, good morning!"

Nathanael chuckled. "Just woke up?" He eyed her attire.

"Yeah… I was just going to pick up some breakfast from the buffet." She smiled awkwardly. "I didn't really feel like changing into anything nice…"

"What you're wearing is perfectly fine." He flashed her with his adorable smile. "It's just your hair…" He took a step closer, inspecting her tangled locks. "Maybe you should try putting it into a bun. It's simple and it looks good on you."

Marinette could feel her cheeks flaming. "I about just to was." This time she was too befuddled to even correct her sentence.

Nathanael simply laughed again before lifting his wrist to check the time on his watch. He must have been used to Marinette's form of dyslexia and chose to ignore it most of the time. "I'm on my way down to grab some breakfast with Lila. Why don't you come?"

"With Lila?" she asked. She wasn't really sure if she wanted to even talk or see Lila until this trip was over. Lila was so kind and even trusted her with a secret the second they met. The only thing that Marinette did was lie – which was bound to surface at one point. After that, Lila was forced to see her walk away at a party with her arm linked around Adrien's. The girl had to hate her by now… maybe enough to throw her out of the resort.

"Marinette? Do you want to come?"

Marinette shook her head, wondering how long she was lost in her own thoughts. "Yeah, sure, why not?"

Marinette followed Nathanael down the hall and into the elevator. While descending their way down to the lobby, Nathanael began to share his excitement with Marinette over his internship. He thought it was wonderful that they were neighbors. They would be able to help each other out with any complications on the job. The whole thing just made Marinette feel even more bizarre. She didn't have an internship, and Nathanael was probably going to find her less attractive once he found out that she was lying.

After a few minutes of maneuvering around the lobby and taking many turns, the two arrived at a terrace, finding Lila sitting at a table, alone sipping on a hot drink. She was looking down at a magazine, probably keeping tabs on the latest trends.

Marinette suddenly felt like her plan of making herself look repulsive was a bad idea. Lila was wearing a simple white tee, a pair of capris, and large framed sunglasses, and still managed to look like a million bucks. Marinette on the other hand, felt like a hobo who was lurking from across the streets and Nathanael was the nice man who insisted on buying her a hot meal.

Marinette slouched and slowed down to hide behind Nathanael. She glanced up at him as he called out to the brunette, a wide smile on his face. It made Marinette wonder about Nathanael's relationship with Lila. Lila had to know Adrien to some extent to have undying feelings towards him, and Adrien and Nathanael were best friends. At school, Nathanael never seemed to take an interest in anybody. It made Marinette wonder. Did he possibly have a crush on Lila, but couldn't pursue it because he knew of her crush on Adrien? Marinette's head spun. She didn't realize that being welcomed into Adrien's world was also a welcome to Nathanael's.

"I hope you don't mind. She was on her way down here anyways."

"No. It's fine. We met the day before."

It took a few seconds for Marinette to realize that she was standing right in front of the gorgeous brunette. She had her head up and had a faint smile on her face. Something about it felt different than the day before, but Marinette couldn't put a finger on it. Hopefully it was just the sunglasses.

Marinette's gut began to churn anyways – a never-ending feeling since Adrien recorded her in the bathroom. She wasn't sure if she was up to eating breakfast anymore. She should have just eaten those waffles. She would be better off eating poison rather than taking part of any social situations she couldn't handle. Alya was always the one to help her get through those, but she wasn't here, and she wasn't allowed to know about it.

Marinette quickly pulled her cushioned seat from under the table and sat across Lila with Nathanael sitting adjacent to both of them.

"How was your night Marinette? Did you enjoy the party?" Lila asked.

"Uhm…" Marinette began to fidget with her coat from under the table. "It was really fancy. I'm not used to that kind of thing." A waiter then stopped at their table and placed two tall glasses of ice water on top of the two coasters that were placed in front of her and Nathanael.

"How was your night?" Marinette continued, wanting to steer the subject away from herself. "How were both of your nights? What did you do? How do you two know each other?" Marinette wanted to mentally slap a piece of duck tape on her mouth.

Marinette couldn't read Lila's expressions through those dark shades. Nathanael on the other hand, beamed and chuckled. "Marinette's kind of awkward in social settings. I suppose you can say that it's one of her quirky charms."

Marinette let out a faint chuckle. His comment didn't make her feel so good.

"I see." Lila half-heartedly laughed along with Nathanael. "If you're wondering, Nathanael and I are childhood friends. Our parents were friends in high school. We used to play together all the time until he finally introduced me to Adrien, and then it was the three of us," she said. "For the last while, we've been seeing each other in the summer since my father's business takes place here."

Marinette nodded. She felt tense. Lila and Nathanael were either like siblings, or the couple that was meant to be.

"You may think that Lila is a goddess like most girls, but she's actually a dork. She farts a lot in her sleep." Nathanael teased causing Lila to smack his shoulder.

"Shut up."

"Oh right, I'm sorry. You have an image to maintain now."

Marinette smiled, trying to look amused by their friendship. It hurt though. She always wanted to be close to Nathanael, but she always ended up making a fool of herself. It was kind of strange. She's never seen how Nathanael acted around those who were close to him. Sure she saw him at school with Adrien, but it's not like she was close enough to hear the two of them conversing. She only knew him as the sweet guy who excelled at everything. It was kind of weird seeing him tease someone.

"Where is Adrien anyways?" Lila asked. "I thought you invited him to breakfast."

"I did, but he's busy planning a romantic evening." He coughed and then eyed Marinette.

"Romantic evening?"

"Yeah, you know, since Marinette's like his first official girlfriend. I guess he wants their first official date to be perfect."

Marinette felt her heart stop. She could not believe that Nathanael just dropped that kind of information.

"Girlfriend…?" Lila slowly turned her head to look at Marinette.

Marinette looked away, barely noticing the cloth that was being scrunched up into Lila's grip.

"Oh, I – uhm…" Marinette stopped, not knowing what to say.

"Do you remember that girl that Adrien would always talk about? Well, surprise! - It's Marinette. I didn't know for the longest time either. Some friend, right?"

"Yeah…" Lila said quietly.

Nathanael continued to provide his thoughts on the situation. "He hid who it was so well." He turned his head to look at Marinette. "The two of you rarely talk. I always thought that you hated him. You seriously need to tell me how he won your heart. It just doesn't add up."

"Oh, uhm …" Marinette began to vigorously tap her fingers against the edge of her seat. All she wanted was breakfast –a meal that wasn't provided to her by Adrien, but she ended up with this instead – another conversation where she had to lie. She had no choice. Nathanael was intently staring at her with his gorgeous turquoise colored eyes, and Lila was probably glaring at her through her shades.

Marinette closed her eyes for a second, trying to come up with a story to satiate their curiosity. She had to make Adrien look like a complete idiot somehow.

She opened her eyes and opened her mouth.

"That's a story for another time."

Marinette raised a brow. Those words didn't come from her mouth. She shifted her weight, and turned to her left to find Adrien standing between her and Nathanael. He placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder and gently squeezed it.

"So, you finally decided to join us?" Nathanael asked, gesturing for him to take the seat across from him.

Adrien smiled and moved his hand from Marinette's shoulder. "I can't. I'm doing a few things for my dad. I just came by to grab something to eat. I was up early helping him and hadn't had the time yet."

"Shouldn't I be doing that?" Nathanael asked. "I am an intern. In fact, Marinette and I are both interns. We should be doing it."

"You're not at that level yet."

Nathanael scowled.

Adrien then turned his attention to the quiet brunette. "What's up with you? You're usually … loud."

"She's just angry that you interrupted story time. Marinette was going to tell us about all your secrets, like your secret rendezvous."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Adrien winked.

Marinette fought so hard to not roll her eyes at his obnoxious comment. She then glanced up at Lila as Nathanael continued to bombard Adrien about their relationship. She was being awfully quiet. It was making her unbearably uncomfortable.

"The secrets will have to wait for another time," said Adrien. "I need to borrow my girl."

Marinette smacked her lips together as a way to prevent herself from protesting.

"Your girl, huh?" Nathanael said. "You never even said that to your number one fan, Chloe." He looked completely amused by the whole thing. He then looked over to Marinette. She was too befuddled by the whole thing to even blush as he met her eyes. "You're going to have a lot of enemies when we return for senior year."

Marinette faintly smiled. She already had a feeling that she had an 'enemy' – the one sitting across from her.

Adrien squeezed Marinette's shoulder again as a way to get her to stand up from her seat. She didn't want to, but she certainly didn't want to face Nathanael and all his questions, especially with Lila there. As she stood up, Adrien grabbed her hand and led her down a plight of stairs and back into the resort. They stopped in a hall where servers were zooming by, bringing out supplies and platters of food to the terrace.

"It's a good thing that I came at a good time."

Marinette stayed quiet. She was kind of glad that he did, but at the same time she missed the opportunity to create a love story that would make him end up looking like a fool.

"You were going to say something that I had to deal with, again."

"Again?" Marinette questioned. "It's not my fault that you're not prepared. You're the blackmailer, you should have everything organized and ready."

"Not so loud," Adrien hissed as a worker walked by with a platter of cheese. He backed Marinette against the wall to make room for the server, and placed a finger on her lips.

Marinette swatted his hand away like a pesky fly as the server made a turn. She then lightly pushed him; the strong scent of his cologne a sign that he was standing too close.

"We're going to have to discuss our backstory during dinner," he said.

Marinette rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Fine," she said, disinterested. "Now what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Can I not see my girl before going back to my father?"

"I am not your girl!" She protested. "Especially when we're alone like this."

Adrien sighed and then reached into the pocket of his jeans. "Here," he said, pulling out what seemed to be a laminated card with a clip at the top and a few words written on the center.

"What is this?" Marinette grabbed it to inspect it. The logo for the Agreste fashion industry was on the center with the word intern printed below it in bold black letters. Just below that was her full name.

"What is this?" she asked again, turning it over to reveal a small time table.

"You're an intern now."

"What?" She looked up at him before trying to return the card. "I wanted to earn this on my own. I can't have this." She tried to force the thing back into his hand.

Adrien smiled and took it from her. He then reached out and clipped the tag to her jacket. "It's not my fault that you told people about being an intern. I can't have people questioning our relationship."

Marinette grimaced.

"Don't worry, milady." He winked before brushing his index finger against her chin. "You're going to have to prove yourself a hundred times more than any other intern. It was hell trying to convince my father to get you this spot."

Marinette shivered by the unpleasant touch. Did he not know what personal space was? Even if she was supposed to be his pretend girlfriend, there had to be boundaries.

Adrien looked down to his watch and sighed before looking back at Marinette. "I must go," he said. "My father will kill me if I'm another minute late." He slid his hands into his pockets then walked pass the bluenette. "You better eat something before ten. Since you're here I assume my waffles weren't good enough for you." He sighed.

Marinette turned around, ignoring the fact that he actually sounded sad about her not eating his waffles. "What's at ten?"

"Your first class with Anthony. You know the one where he transforms you from a gorilla to an actual woman."

"What?!" He had the nerve to say that without turning back to look at her.

Adrien just laughed and continued down the hall. "I'll see you tonight, milady!"

"Stop giving me nicknames!"

* * *

 **That concludes the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **As usual, leave a favorite, follow, and/or a review!**

 **Your support means alot to me. (:**


	8. Date Number One

**Chapter Eight: Date Number One**

When Marinette was first told about her mandatory lessons in Stiletto & Posture 101, she didn't expect Anthony to circle around her several times before picking out more things that she had to work on. According to him she was a feminine disaster. In his exact words, her hair was dry as a stack of hay, her pores as large as a crater, her brows as bushy as a Neanderthal – the list went on and on, and for a second, Marinette thought that Anthony was one of the nice guys. He went through so much work to make sure that she had a nice bath, a stunning outfit for the welcoming party, and generally, a comfortable stay. She didn't think that this man was probably judging her from the very beginning. As soon as Adrien gave him the 'yes' to improving the entirety of her physical self, a whole new side of him came out - a side that Marinette deemed as a fashionista monster.

Marinette dropped her giant box of beauty remedies on the upholstered couch and picked up the item sitting at the very top – a small round mirror that zoomed in on the tiniest features on her face. She positioned the mirror by her eyebrows and began to inspect them. She was no beauty beautician, but she thought she took care of her brows very well. Of course, she didn't have a mirror like this when taming those caterpillars.

She sighed and gently tossed the mirror back into the box before reaching back in and pulling out a notepad that apparently had her schedule. In just a half hour, someone was going to come in to fix up her beastly brows – something Anthony didn't bother to mention when his makeup team came over the day before to fix her up for the party. She swore Adrien ordered them to be nice, despite her 'ghastly appearance'.

She scanned the page – a rough draft of what the rest of her week was going to look like. Written in sloppy handwriting, Marinette could see that her stiletto lessons were going to commence tomorrow at eight in the morning, followed by a lesson in grooming, and then a beginners guide on posture. The whole thing was going to take up five hours of her day. Anthony said that he would have her real schedule ready by tomorrow which concerned her since she had her schedule for her internship arriving some time in the next few days, and not to mention, her scheduled dates with the narcissist.

Marinette pressed the home button on her temporary device, checking the time. She had a few more hours before her date with Adrien, and according to Anthony, she had to start getting ready ASAP.

She flipped the pages over on the notepad, reading more of Anthony's sloppy penmanship. For a guy who seemed so neat, his writing was quite the opposite. He wrote down instructions for her facial routine that she was supposed to start the second she came back to her suite.

Truth be told, Marinette's never been on a date - unless you count going to a fast food restaurant with Kim to complete an essay (which you probably won't). She tried her best to look good everyday so that Nathanael would notice her, so her beauty regime usually consisted of a cleanser and a moisturizer. She didn't know what an astringent or a serum was – which was part of Anthony's instructions that had a dozen of other beauty products.

Marinette picked up the box again, bringing it to her bedroom. If Anthony commanded her to start right away, she had too. But first, she was going to have a long, relaxing bath.

* * *

"Flats will have to do for now," said Anthony as they stood in the elevator.

Marinette looked down at her plain pink flats. She curled her toes, admiring the simplicity of the shoes. She couldn't understand why she needed stilettoes when her closet was filled with just as many flats.

Anthony dressed her in a pink skirt and a white crop top and accessorized it with a couple bracelets. It was still a little too dressy for Marinette, but it was probably because the only thing she ever wore were a pair of jeans.

"Where are we going?" asked Marinette. She had so many things on her mind that she didn't bother to ask or even wonder about what kind of date she was going to be on. Were they going to go swimming? Or were they going to watch a movie? Surely the latter was better than the former. She couldn't even swim. Alya was the only person who knew that, but Marinette had a hunch that Adrien probably knew that too, and was going to use it against her at one point.

"To the docks."

"Docks?" Marinette raised a brow. "What docks? I didn't see any docks."

"You didn't explore the entire resort my dear." He chuckled as the elevator chimed, signaling that they have arrived at their floor.

"This isn't a resort. It's a miniature city," Marinette murmured as she followed Anthony through the lobby. They briefly stopped at a door behind the check in counter that was marked only for employees, and Anthony pressed a few buttons on a keypad beside it. The door sounded with an approving click, and Anthony pushed the door wide open, and led Marinette down a long narrow hall with dozens of doors on either side.

At the very end of the hall was a large arched doorway leading outside of the resort. As soon as Marinette stepped out, she found herself standing on a dock over looking a lake with a pier stretching and turning for a couple miles. Lined up around the docks were dozens of yachts ranging from small and simple to lavish and extravagant.

"How did I miss this?" Marinette asked, stunned to see that the resort was resting right by a lake. It was dark out with nothing but a few lanterns strung up about the area. She couldn't tell how far the lake extended, but Marinette had a hunch that at the other end was a sandy beach with a bar and special tanning area.

"This lake was added just the year before."

 _Of course it was._ Marinette thought. This place had to have everything relaxing in some way.

"Your date will be over there." Anthony pointed to one of the bigger yachts near the center of the docking area. It was the only one that had its lights on.

"Are you not going to guide me there?" Marinette asked after Anthony bowed down and turned on his heel to head back into the resort.

"No. My orders were just to bring you here. I also have lots of planning to do for your future classes."

Marinette groaned as Anthony returned to the building, leaving her alone on the docks.

"I just need to get that video." She sighed and walked down the slats of wood. When she got closer to the yacht, the sweet sounds of classical music filled her ears. It was relaxing, but made her cringe. It was reminding her of those cheesy scenarios in romantic movies where the rich guy would shower his love interest with anything his money could buy – things that Marinette found absolutely ridiculous.

"Ahh… yes. Miss. Marinette."

"Norman?" Marinette looked up at the man who was her supposed driver now dressed up as the captain of a ship. He was standing at the edge of the dock by the railings that would lead her up to her first date.

He laughed wholeheartedly. "I also steer boats." He smiled warmly while helping her onto the yacht. "Mr. Adrien wanted me to steer the boat around the lake."

"Of course he did," Marinette said. She was happy to see a friendly face. She didn't know Norman, but she just knew that he wouldn't turn judgmental like Anthony did.

He led Marinette around the boat, the music growing louder with each step. After a couple minutes, they stepped onto the back of the yacht where a small orchestra of men were set up near the railings, playing the tunes that Marinette found quite enjoyable. At the center was a round table with a white tablecloth spilling over the edges, and fine cutlery and porcelain arranged nicely on top.

"Good evening beautiful."

Marinette slightly turned her head to see Adrien – dressed in a suit with a white tuxedo jacket and bowtie – standing on the opposite end of the yacht. He gracefully walked over to Marinette with one of his hands in his pockets. "Milady." He winked before nodding at Norman.

"As you wish Mr. Adrien," said Norman, understanding Adrien's simple act as a command. He looked at Marinette and nodded at her before turning back in the direction they came from, leaving her alone with the monster and a pleasant band.

Adrien smugly smiled at her as he gestured for her to take a seat at their table – the only table. She hesitated at first, but walked over to the velvety white seat. She made herself comfortable, despite feeling uncomfortable by the entire situation.

"How was your day?" he asked after their waiter told them of what was going to be on their menu for the night. There meals sounded so fancy that Marinette didn't even understand half of the words coming from out of his mouth. She just hoped that they were delicious.

Marinette blinked, wondering what kind of trickery he was up to. There was absolutely no way that he could possibly care about her day.

"How was your first lesson with Anthony?" he asked after Marinette didn't answer his first question. He leaned in close, examining her face. "Your complexion looks much better than before. I see he's been giving you a couple beauty tips."

Marinette looked away.

"You know," he said. "Your blackmail would be over if you'd just cooperate. I even got you an internship with my father. You could be less..." He paused. "…bitter."

"I didn't want it."

"But you got it. You could be more grateful." He took a swig from his glass. "In return I'll be nicer. I admit that I wasn't treating you very well, so in return I'll be less of a jerk." He lowered his voice on the last word before flashing her with his award-winning smile. "I'll even get Anthony to make your breakfast for you instead. You know, until you trust me to make it for you."

Marinette stared at him long and hard, trying to figure out what he was thinking. She still wasn't convinced that this guy actually liked her, and now, he was suddenly acting somewhat nice – at least nicer than any other time she's ever interacted with him.

"Delete the video and any copies you made," she said after their servers placed their appetizers on the table.

Adrien smiled smugly. "I said I'd be nicer." He chuckled, picking up his glass, inspecting the sides for fingerprints or stains. "Besides, you have to admit that things are much more interesting this way."

"How so?" Marinette asked, picking up the spoon that came with her bowl of soup. She dipped the shiny piece of silver into the bowl, stirring it around to inspect the contents. It was a grayish blue color, and the only ingredient Marinette could make out was black beans – or what looked like black beans. The dish itself looked like vomit to her, but the aroma was quite pleasant – smelling like herbs and cheese.

"Don't you go to camp every year?" he asked.

"But this year was going to be different," she said, waiting for him to take the first bite. "I was going to be a counselor."

"But you could be a counselor again next year." He set his glass down after inspecting it for so long. "How often will you be given the chance to visit New York and set foot into a five star, luxury resort?"

Marinette opened her mouth, but she wasn't sure of what to say. He made a good point, despite her still feeling like they were in some tiny city just outside of New York.

"Plus," he continued. "You literally have access to all my funds. You can go anywhere and do whatever you want."

"So I can buy my own yacht?" she asked, wondering just how much funds she had access to.

He chuckled before finally taking a spoonful of the soup into his mouth. "Sure. If that's what you want." He then smirked, making Marinette realize that there was more to it. "You can use my funds for anything, but a certain amount of debt may have to result in you going on Christmas vacation with me. Or better yet, you being my personal maid for an entire year when we get back to Paris."

Marinette groaned, finding it disgusting that he was plotting other ways to make her life miserable. "How many dates do we have to go on for you to end the blackmail?" she asked.

"How long will it take for you to fall in love with me?"

"That's never going to happen." She rolled her eyes.

"We'll see."

"I'm being serious."

"I am too," he said before pointing to her bowl. "Now eat before it gets cold."

Marinette groaned, but did as he said. She might not have earned that internship like Nathanael or any of the other interns, but she was still given the chance to prove to Mr. Agreste that she had what it took to be a fashion designer. On top of that, she basically received a free vacation with all expenses paid. She could see the Statue of Liberty or go to The Met. She was given an opportunity to view a different culture under such luxurious premises. Maybe being blackmailed by Adrien wasn't such a bad thing after all. Adrien may have gotten Nathanael to steer clear of their fake relationship, but that didn't mean that she had to stop liking Nathanael. She could even use her internship time to get closer to him.

"Okay," Marinette said after swallowing a spoonful of the delicious soup. "I'll be less… bitter."

"Great," he said. "You'll be in love with me in no time."

Marinette rolled her eyes. That was never going to happen.

* * *

After her somewhat tolerable dinner with the narcissist, Marinette managed to escape the yacht before Adrien had the chance to ask her to a dance. They did a couple turns around the lake and like magic, they were back on the docks – like Norman knew she wanted out.

Marinette sighed, waiting for the elevator to stop at her floor. She pressed her back against the cold wall, unsure if all the perks to this trip were enough to keep her satisfied. No amount of money in the world was enough for her to say no to the stiff mattresses and creepy bugs and campfires and scary stories of Camp Champ Herbeux.

The elevator chimed and Marinette stepped out onto her floor. She walked over to her door, trying to think of what Alya would say if she knew about the situation she was in. She would probably tell her to not care about the stupid video and let him show it to the world. But, it was too late for that. So, she had to go with the alternative – take advantage of everything.

 _I suppose I'll just have to come back with a billion souvenirs and explanations for everything when I'm back._ Marinette thought.

She looked up, her key card in her hand. She was about to slide her card across the reader, but a glint of gold caught her eye. She raised her head higher, finding a golden envelope taped to the door.

 _Does he already have the next date planned? He's seriously desperate for me to fall in love with him._

Marinette snatched the card from the door, leaving a piece of the tape stuck to the surface. She pulled out a small piece of cardstock and examined the contents of the card. Her eyes widened upon reading it.

 _You're cordially invited to Lila Rossi's horseback riding event. Clothing and accessories will be provided._

 _Sincerely, Rossi Administration_

That part wasn't what caught her attention though. After flipping the card over to view the time and date and location, Marinette found a note scrawled in pencil, ruining the design of the nicely printed card. She didn't know who wrote it, but she had one guess. Lila. And it said:

 _You better come. We need to have a chat._

* * *

 ** _And that's the end of the chapter! :)_**

 ** _As usual, leave a favorite, follow, and/or review._**

 ** _Your support means a lot to me!_**


	9. Ready

**Hey guys! Here with the next chapter. Before we start, I'm going to answer a couple questions that I haven't yet in the reviews in case anyone else has been wondering the same thing.**

 **Guest: do you only post once a month or...**

 _I honestly was and am aiming to update once or twice a week. A lot of things have happened in the last while that just made me really unmotivated. I'm trying to fix that, but no guarantees. I really will try for once or twice a week ... I'm aiming to update my other stories too, hopefully by the end of the month or some time in november._

 **alinru95: So is there anytime soon that Adrien is going to be a little less of a dick.**

 _Of course! Will it happen soon? Probably not for awhile. This story will probably be one of first really long stories ... maybe over thirty chapters. I've noticed it is pretty slow going, but I hope that makes it more enjoyable for you? :)_

 **madziolina1140: Will you write Adrien POV?**

 _No. This is just Marinette. haha I feel like my writing skills aren't that great to portray more than one view. Sometimes I get really confused so I mostly stick with one._

 **I think those are all the main questions that I feel a lot of people are wondering about. :)**

 **Anywho, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: Ready**

"And the big deal is?" Anthony asked, flipping over a couple pancakes on a griddle. "If you ask me, you're lucky to be invited to a Rossi private event. Nobod- I mean, newcomers don't get that kind of luxury."

Marinette glared at the well-gelled man who was stacking pancakes upon pancakes on top of a porcelain plate. He was making enough to feed a dozen.

"As you said…" Marinette cleared her throat after swallowing a mouthful of her food. "…I am a nobody. Why would I be invited to this?" She clearly had to point out that he thought of her as a nobody.

"I didn't mean it like that." He glanced up at her before returning to pouring more batter onto the griddle. He then reached over for the glass bottle of maple syrup and drizzled it atop Marinette's pancakes – like she didn't have enough of the liquid sugar slowly drowning and ruining the perfectly fluffy texture.

Marinette didn't think Adrien was serious when he told her that he would have Anthony make her breakfast. She was perfectly capable of ordering room service or going to the terrace, but Adrien must have thought otherwise. He must have picked up on how uncomfortable she was during her breakfast with Nathanael and Lila the day before.

She was surprised to walk out of her room this morning with the smell of butter and sugar tickling her senses. It made her feel like home – again – until she heard Anthony's voice already telling her to wash her face and follow up with an eye mask. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't get any sleep that night. Lila's invitation was giving her a major headache.

Whenever she had something on her mind, Marinette would call for Alya, and when she couldn't reach her, she would settle for her journal. No matter how much she wrote her mind couldn't find a nook of peace. So, she ended up in confiding her thoughts to the first person who came to her doorstep – her teacher and personal maid, and his thoughts weren't easing her worries.

He sighed. "If you must know," he said. "Lila isn't someone who bullies anyone. She may be your age, but that doesn't automatically make her the mean girl that every high school apparently has."

Chloe immediately came to Marinette's mind.

"Unlike those girls," Anthony continued. "Lila actually has an image to maintain. An actual important image."

"Are you sure? Because her friends…" Marinette began to think of the couple times she encountered Lila's friends. They didn't think that she belonged, but the second they heard Anthony telling her she was in the Scarlet Suite, they completely changed their minds about her.

"…are not the brightest." Anthony nodded his head in shame while tossing more finished pancakes onto the now cold pile. "Now, pick up that stack of pancakes."

"What?" Marinette blinked, almost choking on her cup of herbal tea.

"We're going to work with your balance."

"And what do pancakes have to do with that?"

"You'll see."

* * *

For an hour, Anthony made Marinette balance a couple of thin hardcover textbooks on her head as she walked back and forth on an imaginary line stationed between her room and the front door. She still didn't understand the point of the pancakes until he added the plate onto the stack of textbooks on her head – telling her that she would be inclined to do much better if food was on the line. In less than thirty seconds, the stack fell onto the floor, and Marinette was forced to pick them all up and have them stacked upon her head again. The exercise was repeated several times, and at the end of it, Marinette no longer wanted to eat pancakes for breakfast, or any meal for that matter. Anthony then left to tend to other guests, and his last instructions were for Marinette to pick up the bits and pieces of crumbs that were scattered along the floor. She couldn't believe that he was making her do that especially without a vacuum or a broom and dustpan. The last thing he told her to do was to continue with her facial routine to prep her skin for the arrival of his makeup team.

Marinette groaned and stood up from the ground, her knees aching from pressing against the cold hard floor. She walked over to the mirror by the door and began to inspect her hair, noticing a couple of crumbs clinging to her disheveled pigtails.

 _Knock Knock._

Marinette bit on her bottom lip, wondering if it was Anthony with further instructions, or Adrien with his set of rules for her invitation to the event. He had to know that she was invited. He was probably the one who forced Lila into inviting her.

"Who is it?" Marinette called out, but the response just came with more knocks.

Marinette groaned loudly, picking out as much crumbs as she could before turning the door and opening it widely.

"Na-Nathanael!" Marinette squeaked while instinctively closing the door, leaving just a sliver of her body for him to see. "What here are you doing?" Marinette gulped, her throat feeling dry. It didn't help that she didn't drink much after finishing her breakfast. "Wh-what are you doing here?" She stammered.

Nathanael chuckled. "Hey Marinette. Rough morning?"

Marinette's face turned red. "Kinda…" she said quietly.

"Adrien told me that Anthony is helping you with a couple things. He didn't state the specifics though."

Marinette's lips curled into a faint smile. As much as she wanted to spend the morning talking to Nathanael, she didn't want to have to do it while hiding her appearance. If she could, she would ask him to stay still for ten minutes while she freshened up. She knew that wouldn't happen though.

She watched as Nathanael reached into his messenger bag, pulling out a black folder. "We had to pick up our intern schedule this morning, but Adrien told me to pick up yours since you're having secret classes with Anthony." He extended his arm, handing the envelope to Marinette. "It contains your schedule and who you'll be shadowing for the month."

"Oh, thanks. That's really nice of you." Marinette blushed, taking the folder from his grip. It was heavier than she thought it would be.

"Yeah." He smiled. "I sort of took a peek into your folder." He admitted. "I was curious about your schedule."

"Is it bad?" Marinette questioned, letting go of the knob to inspect the contents of the folder.

Nathanael chuckled. "No, we'll just be seeing a lot of each other. That's all."

Marinette looked up just in time to see Nathanael follow up with a wink. She felt her hands weaken under the folder, almost dropping it in the process.

"So, Anthony was teaching you how to make pancakes? Or should I say, juggle with pancakes?"

Marinette turned, looking at the plateful of deteriorating pancakes on the ground with the crumbs scattered along the floor. She then looked to the door, not noticing that it slowly somehow made its way to the wall without a single creak. She pursed her lips, feeling embarrassed. Last time she checked, hotel doors were supposed to be heavy, with most of its weight leaning towards closing the room – not leaving the room wide open for everyone to see.

"Uh, no…" Marinette laughed awkwardly while closing the folder. "I was making him breakfast as a thank you, but… I ended up slipping."

"Typical Marinette." He smiled. "I remember you ripping up our poster three times before our English presentation. I had to put everything on a powerpoint instead."

"Yeah…" Marinette murmured, wishing she wasn't such a klutz around him. If only Anthony would help her with Nathanael rather than help her tend to Adrien's wishes.

"Anyways, I'll see you later."

"Later?"

"Yeah. Lila's event. I'll see you there, right? I mean, Lila must really want you to go if she went to such a great extent to deliver your invitation to your door."

"She did?" she asked. "It wasn't Adrien?"

Nathanael laughed. "No. Adrien's so busy with helping his father and planning the perfect dates. Spoiler alert, he already has five in store for you. You're one lucky girl."

Marinette smiled, but deep down she was groaning dreadfully.

"Adrien probably doesn't even know that you were personally invited. He was most likely going to invite you as a 'plus one', despite that not being allowed. He'd get brutally rejected and end up pouting throughout the entire event because you're not there." He laughed. "You should probably give him a call and tell him what's up. He'll be really happy to hear that he doesn't have to embarrass himself in front of Lila and her family."

"Right."

"I'll see you later then." He nodded at her before turning over in the direction of his room.

Marinette closed the door and picked up the invitation on the kitchen island where Anthony placed it. What did Lila want? And why didn't she tell Adrien about it?

* * *

The rest of Marinette's morning was long and tedious. Anthony eventually came back with his makeup team and spent hours on her hair and face. They wanted her to look extra good since she was the first outsider being invited to a Rossi event. It didn't matter if she was close to Adrien or Nathanael or anyone else for that matter. The guests invited were people who were well acquainted with everyone in the family. While Tina – one of the hairstylists – straightened her hair, Anthony began to bombard her with facts about the Rossi family. She hadn't the slightest idea that Lila had three older siblings and four younger ones. She wasn't able to memorize so much information in so little time. It didn't help either that all of their names started with 'L'. There was Lily and Lilac and Landon and so on, and they all had quite the list of accomplishments. The whole thing made Marinette feel like she was a failure.

"Is Adrien going to be picking me up?" Marinette asked, assuming that Anthony probably told him of her invite and all her worries. She didn't want him picking her up, but the thought of clinging to him the whole time was far better than standing in the middle of a field, surrounded by rich and accomplished strangers.

"You didn't tell him of your invite?" He momentarily stopped touching up Marinette's makeup, and stared at her through the mirror in confusion. "I thought you would share the excitement with him right away."

Excitement? This event was far from exciting.

"Why would I? We're not clo-." Marinette bit on her tongue, realizing what she was just about to say. "How could I? I was worried all night." She ended up saying instead.

Anthony eyed her, trying to read her expression. "Isn't that what boyfriends are for?" he asked after a minute.

Marinette could feel the remnants of her breakfast travelling back up her esophagus. "I don't like leaning on him too much." She managed to say with a small smile.

"I see…" Anthony walked over to Marinette's bed, picking up two coral colored boxes. Marinette inspected his face as he removed the lid of one of the boxes, exposing a thin sheet of pink tissue paper. She was curious about what was in the box, but she was even more curious about Anthony's thoughts. He had to have noticed her slip up.

"These were left by your door. Courtesy of Lila, I presume." He placed the box on the bed, slowly tearing the tape away from the tissue paper.

"What is it?" Marinette walked over to Anthony as he removed the tissue paper. He reached in, carefully pulling out a nicely folded black blazer. He placed it on the bed and grabbed the garment by the shoulders, lifting it up for proper inspection. The blazer naturally unfolded, revealing four silver buttons down the center of the garment and white trim around the collar and pockets. Pinned to the upper right side of the blazer was a small black tag with Marinette's full name on it.

"This is surprising," said Anthony, reaching into the box to pull out a few more articles of clothing. There was a white turtleneck, a pair of brown jodhpurs, and black gloves to go with it.

Marinette placed a hand on the blazer as Anthony moved the first box to the side to make room for the second one.

"I'm going to assume that this is the rest of it," he said, hastily opening up the second box to reveal a pair of sturdy English style boots, and a black riding helmet. "Well, this should be interesting," said Anthony, inspecting the helmet that had the Rossi name imprinted on the inside.

"Why?"

"It seems that Lila wants you to go riding with her."

"I thought that was what I was going to be doing anyways."

"Newcomers aren't allowed near the horses. They are simply there to watch and mingle with the other guests."

Marinette looked down to all the equipment in front of her. Why would Lila go to all this trouble for one conversation she could have easily initiated by coming to her doorstep? Something felt kind of off. Was she planning to do something bad?

"I assumed you told Adrien about everything, so I didn't inform him of your invite. I should have known he didn't know when he didn't send me any personal instructions for your day."

Personal instructions? He was controlling her every move now? Marinette discreetly rolled her eyes. "Are you going to tell him now?" she asked.

"No," he simply said. "He'll be much more happier to see you there if it were a surprise. Your status is also tweaking my curiosity."

Marinette glanced up at him. He had his chin resting against his thumb and forefinger. She was almost too afraid to ask what he meant, but she did anyways.

"Well, for starters, Adrien never seemed interested in dating. He was only a flirt – only because of Nathanael, and he doesn't have enough power to alter the guest list of the Rossi family. You must be something special."

Marinette should have realized that the second she was thrown into Adrien's world. But it was too late for her to leave now. She had to go to this event and face the consequences – whatever that may be.

* * *

 **I know, it doesn't really cover the basis for the cliffhanger that happened in the last chapter. But don't worry! That will be touched upon in the next one, so as usual, leave a follow/favorite & review! Your support means a lot to me :) Oh, and Happy early turkey day! (to those who celebrate thanksgiving). :D**


	10. Set

**Whoa, I actually have a chapter done in less than a week! Anyway, off to some reviews. :)**

 **Guest: Why is blackmailing someone something people like to romanticize? Adriens behavior is very toxic and unhealthy.**

Never really thought about that. Maybe cause its something different? I only ever view it as something like comedy (in the context of stories/movies) unless the genre is like angst. But i mean, if you hate it that much, then don't read or look into the story - or any movie/story for that matter.

 **Sad Cheeseburger: I love this story! please continue updating. i have one question, have you abandoned a play to remember? i hope not :(**

I have not! I know it seems like I have (and every other story), but I swear I haven't! A Play to Remember is probably the number one story I really want to complete. I have so much ideas for it. The only problem I have is that this is my first time writing something with mysteries. I have everything I want to happen, but linking them so it flows nicely is another story... I also don't really want to do it so badly (for my kind of skill). I'm planning to upload at the end of the month or next month though.

 **Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: Set**

Marinette clutched onto the strap of her riding helmet, taking a few steps back as she watched Lila's horde of friends march through the open gates of the ginormous ranch. They were all dressed similarly to Marinette and were being greeted by what Marinette assumed to be close and personal workers of the Rossi family.

Marinette swallowed, her throat feeling coarse and dry. She took a few more steps back, retreating behind a block of well-trimmed bushes. If she didn't go to the event, Lila would find a different way to contact her, right?

Despite Norman already driving off and leaving her miles away from the resort, she didn't mind calling a cab or catching the bus and sightseeing the city. After all, she did have one of the Agreste credit cards in her pocket. She just had to somehow leave the scene and return to the resort unseen. If Adrien questioned the new purchases on his credit card, she could just tell him that she lost the card somewhere by the pool and someone used it.

She turned around, intending to leave, but was immediately spotted by Nino who was hauling out items out of a van with a few other men.

"Marinette?" He looked surprised. He said a few words to the man beside him before jogging over to Marinette who was frozen, cowering in her spot behind the bushes. "What are you doing here?" He asked while checking out her new gear. "I didn't know that you were invited to this event. I wasn't even aware that you knew how to ride a horse."

"I guess I'm just a lucky girl…" Marinette shyly laughed, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Regarding his other comment, well, she was hoping she didn't have to ride a horse. She's never interacted with one before. Who knows what would happen if she were?

"I bet," he said. "I heard that the Rossi events are really hard to get into."

"Well… you're here, right?"

"Yeah, to carry in equipment and let my mentor have all the fun." He frowned.

"You'll get your chance. I'm sure of it," said Marinette while taking a quick look back at the small groups of people still entering the venue. "Do you need some extra help?" she asked. She didn't want to enter the place and have all eyes on her because she was an outsider. She didn't even know if Lila was already there. And if she was, would she welcome her as a friend?

"Nah, I think we're good. You should enjoy your time here with the other guests." He slightly turned; ready to return back to his work.

"I can carry some bags or small boxes!" She called out.

One of the men walked over to the duo, carrying a couple of paper bags. "You can bring these in," he said. "We're already late, and we could use the extra help."

"Of course!" Marinette wrapped the straps of her helmet around her wrist and eagerly grabbed onto the handles of the paper bags. " So, where do I take these?"

"Through the back door, over there." The man pointed to an open door just behind an oak tree.

Marinette smiled in relief, noticing that it was far away from the main entrance.

* * *

Marinette walked around the rustic styled house, following the orders of Nino's mentor. She was told to bring a select few of the paper bags out and onto the stage where the band would be performing for the crowd. She maneuvered herself around the many servers who were zooming in and out of the kitchen, taking platters of food outside to where the party was actually happening. She stepped over to one of the many windows and took a peek outside. On her left were a bunch of white clothed, round tables with florally centerpieces and, cards – most likely containing names – facing each wooden chair tucked beneath the table. Each chair was almost already filled, and everyone looked like they were already mingling with another, exchanging greetings or already sharing memories. Further to the left were the refreshments and rows of finger sandwiches and other finger foods. To her right was a file of wooden fences, dividing the guests from the vast, green field that contained obstacles for the horses.

Marinette squinted her eyes, trying to find the area she was directed to go to. Past all the tables and growing crowd was the stage where she were to deliver these bags of cords and other equipment she didn't seem to recognize. She groaned. Why couldn't they park by the stage? That wasn't the worse thing though. Adrien and Nathanael were sitting at the table closest to the stage.

Marinette shut her eyes tightly and placed the bags on the floor next to her. She untangled her riding helmet from her wrist and placed it on her head before strapping it into place. She clutched onto the strap of the bags and decided to make a run for it.

She stepped outside; the warmth of the sun making her wish that she didn't have to wear this turtleneck and blazer. She headed to her left, taking cover behind the dishes as she zoomed past the tables and finally, towards her destination.

She stopped by the corner of the stage, feeling as if her heart were about to explode through her chest. She looked over to where Adrien and Nathanael were sitting, not liking that they were just a few feet away from her. She could hear the two arguing, but it wasn't audible enough for her to understand. She didn't care though, if anything, they were so engrossed in their bickering that they weren't even paying attention to the people around them.

"Are you okay?"

Marinette turned to find Nino standing beside her, handing her a bottle of water.

"I know they told you we were behind schedule, but you didn't have to run all the way here."

"I didn't want to get you in trouble," she said through pants as she grabbed the bottle from Nino, almost drinking the entire thing in front of him.

"I see you found your boyfriend," said Nino, looking over in the direction that Marinette was previously looking at.

"Oh, you knew about that?" Marinette felt embarrassed. She was hoping that Nino would be so busy with his internship to notice or hear about it.

"Yeah, I thought you hated that guy." Nino laughed. "I guess when Alya told me about how much you hated him, she probably meant that you liked him." He laughed again. "Girl talk. It's so confusing."

Marinette smiled, but it was quick to fade away.

"What was Alya's reaction? I bet she was happy to hear about it."

Marinette raised a brow. She was so sure that Nino would text her the second he found out about it. And even if he didn't yet, that meant that he still had his phone, and she could text him through there. There was no way that Adrien was going to monitor Nino's movements. That was a little extreme.

"Why don't you text her and find out?" Marinette grinned, feeling like she just outsmarted the monster.

"I can't. My mentor took my phone."

Her face fell. "What?"

"He thinks of it as a distraction. He gave me a walkie talkie to contact him with." He reached into his pocket, pulling out the clunky device. "He was okay with it first, but I guess he changed his mind."

Or Adrien changed his mentor's mind.

Marinette sighed. "Well, I hope she's having a fun time at camp."

"It's Alya. You know she is." He smiled widely and then turned his head, looking back at a wooden table that was filled with bags and other musical equipment. "I should probably get back to work." He grabbed the bags that Marinette hauled over and gave her his thanks. He then retreated to the wooden table, grabbing a few more things, and walked up the stairs leading to the stage.

Marinette took another swig from the water bottle, quenching her thirst until the whole thing was completely empty. She placed the empty bottle on the corner of the stage, and took a few steps back, just noticing that the two boys were no longer bickering. They were busy talking to older people at their table. She left herself vulnerable by letting Nino talk to her, but she was lucky to see that the boys didn't seem to notice. She walked up a few stairs, hiding herself behind the curtains of the stage. She took one long exhale and removed her helmet, her bangs already clinging to the sweat on her forehead. She carefully brushed her bangs away, making sure to keep her foundation intact.

"There you are." Marinette heard a voice.

"What?" Marinette whispered, turning to look at Nino. He was completely engrossed in sorting out all of the CD's he was pulling out of one bin. She cleared her throat. "Did you just-" She suddenly felt a pair of hands grab her by the waist. "What the-" She tried to scream, but was stopped by her mouth being covered by a pair of gloves. She tried to squirm her way out of this person's grip, but her strength was no match. She attempted to call for help again, but being dragged behind another set of curtains muted her voice.

"Not so loud. I don't want Adrien or Nathanael to see." At that moment, Marinette knew that it was Lila. For a petite girl, she was pretty strong. Marinette was confident enough to say that she was stronger than a lot of boys in her grade.

She felt Lila's grip loosen on her and push her forward, making her walk down another set of stairs.

"Wh-what do you want?" Marinette asked. She stood still as the brunette took a few steps ahead of her, turning to face her.

Lila looked around, making sure that no one saw them before removing her riding helmet. She was wearing the exact same outfit as Marinette. The only difference was her jodhpurs being a couple shades lighter. It made Marinette wonder if Lila grabbed some clothes from her closet and got a servant to engrave _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_ on a nametag.

Marinette stood still with her eyes darting from left to right. She was so sure that Lila's friends were somewhere undercover, getting ready to unleash their attack on the girl who stole their rich friends' future boyfriend. Maybe one of them was standing behind the thick curtains of the stage, holding onto a rope that controlled the drop of a bucket full of horse poop. Then the others would come in and take a dozen pictures of her humiliation.

"Are you okay?" asked Lila, waving her hand over Marinette's face.

"What? I'm fine." Marinette blinked, her attention snapping back to the girl who was in front of her.

"Right," Lila said, unconvinced. "Follow me. I don't think this is a safe area to talk."

Marinette simply nodded. She didn't want to disobey the girl who belonged to a wealthy and prosperous family.

Marinette followed behind Lila who was continuously on the lookout. They walked for a couple minutes until they reached a white van that was parked under an oak tree. This certainly wasn't helping Marinette's imagination. Now she was thinking that Lila and her friends were going to kill her and dump her into the nearest lake.

"Okay," said Lila, quietly opening the door to the back of the van. She stepped in and urged Marinette to do the same before closing the doors. "This is good enough." She looked out the tinted windows as an extra measure.

"Are you trying to kill me?" asked Marinette, looking around. It was completely empty. It seemed like the perfect vehicle to use for a murder.

"What? No." Lila laughed. "I'd be known as a criminal and my father would disown me."

"Then why are you being so cautious?" Marinette asked. She felt a sense of relief in her gut, but not enough to unwind the anxiety that built up since last night.

"Because I know."

"Know what?"

Lila reached into the pocket of her blazer, pulling out her phone. She began to tap her fingers against the screen and then turned her phone around for Marinette to see.

Marinette turned red looking at the familiar frames being played in front of her. She quickly pressed the button on the side, shutting the phone off before too much could be heard. It didn't help that Adrien played it enough times for her to memorize every single word she said. Just hearing one part from the video triggered the memory of a few sentences.

"How did you get that video?" Marinette protested. "I suppose you're going to show that to everyone to humiliate me."

"What?" Lila said, putting her phone away. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you asked me about Adrien the second we met, and I knew you liked him right away. And then I ruined it for you at the party."

"That was a hard night…" She trailed off. "I found it incredibly hard to believe, so I did some snooping, and found this video on Adrien's laptop."

She didn't like Adrien in the slightest, but Lila's words kind of stung. Would it be that hard to believe if she was actually dating Adrien?

She looked back at Lila who was busily tapping away on her phone. She then groaned, realizing that another copy was just made.

"I'll delete it right away," said Lila, putting her phone back in her pocket. "I just wanted you to believe me before I make this proposal."

"What proposal?"

"I don't know why Adrien is deciding to blackmail you for this video, but at least now I know that you like Nathanael."

Marinette felt her face turn red. "What's your point?"

"I like Adrien. I'll help you win Nathanael if you help me win Adrien."

Marinette opened her mouth, but hesitated to say anything. She wasn't expecting this at all. Well, the last week has been one huge surprise. By now, she should have suspected for something else surprising to happen.

Marinette bit on her bottom lip. She knew one thing for sure. Lila was probably way scarier than Adrien if she got on her bad side. Plus, she seemed to be someone who was willing to help – despite it being for her own personal gain. She wasn't in Agreste territory. She was in Rossi territory. If she played her cards right, she could be back in Paris and off to the camp in, maybe, a week or two.

"How can I do that?" Marinette finally said. "He's practically keeping tabs on me. He even made me give up my phone to use this temporary one." Marinette took her phone from out of her pocket. She clicked on the home screen and was immediately welcomed to a few text messages from the devil himself. "He said he even checks who I'm texting or calling to make sure I'm not calling a friend back in Paris."

"That's so unlike him…" Lila murmured, leaning over to read the messages that Marinette decided to open up.

 _How's your lessons? Send me pics so I know you're not slacking._

"Lessons?" Lila questioned.

"He's making me take lessons with Anthony to improve my posture and face and everything. He even has scheduled dates for us." Marinette started on her rant rampage. It felt so good for her to finally say this to someone.

"I don't know why he would do any of that, but I only see him once a year. I guess he's changed." Lila looked so confused – almost like she was contemplating her crush on him. Marinette hoped his so-called sudden change wasn't enough for Lila's unrequited love to immediately end.

"Why am I wearing this riding outfit?" Marinette decided to ask. "I don't think your family would appreciate an outsider being near you and the horses."

Lila shook her head. "I told my family you were my penpal from Paris. I told them we were bestfriends. And, well, I thought today would be a great day to start my plan."

"Which is?"

"Nathanael loves horses. He's really good at riding them too. I know he loves girls who love riding them with him. After the main event, my friends and I get to ride the horses around the ranch. I think that's a perfect place to start."

Marinette wasn't sure if it was. She knew absolutely nothing about horses, especially about how to ride them.

* * *

 **That's the end of the chapter! See you, hopefully, by friday or saturday! As usual, leave a favorite/follow and or review! Love you guyssssss!**


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